· Web viewIntroduction. The primitive Earth was teeming with non-civilized creatures. After the...

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Introduction The primitive Earth was teeming with non-civilized creatures. After the dinosaurs were destroyed by a giant meteorite, mammals became the dominant species. When the homo sapiens were building the Stone Age among these mammals, there were intelligent life forms that reached the Earth. They called themselves Man. They were spiritual beings, like light, and they were also capable of materialization. They were full of intellectual curiosity. They also liked to build order out of chaos. They used their radio-wave-like powers to give some of the homo sapiens on earth words, wisdom, and spirituality close to their own, and they called these homo sapiens Human Beings. They allowed humans to breed and build civilization. They chose the ones they liked out of the humans and collected the spirits even after their bodies perished. Eventually, they formulated a plan called “harvest”. In September 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration. In it, noble resolutions and goals were set out for peace, human rights, security, overcoming poverty, and development. It also established the Millennium Development Goals, which were supposed to be achieved by 2015. Currently, this peace has not been achieved yet.

Transcript of  · Web viewIntroduction. The primitive Earth was teeming with non-civilized creatures. After the...

Introduction

The primitive Earth was teeming with non-civilized creatures. After the dinosaurs were destroyed by a giant meteorite, mammals became the dominant species. When the homo sapiens were building the Stone Age among these mammals, there were intelligent life forms that reached the Earth. They called themselves Man. They were spiritual beings, like light, and they were also capable of materialization. They were full of intellectual curiosity. They also liked to build order out of chaos. They used their radio-wave-like powers to give some of the homo sapiens on earth words, wisdom, and spirituality close to their own, and they called these homo sapiens Human Beings. They allowed humans to breed and build civilization.

They chose the ones they liked out of the humans and collected the spirits even after their bodies perished.

Eventually, they formulated a plan called “harvest”.

In September 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration. In it, noble resolutions and goals were set out for peace, human rights, security, overcoming poverty, and development. It also established the Millennium Development Goals, which were supposed to be achieved by 2015. Currently, this peace has not been achieved yet.

　What will the world be like? How can we make peace? What is peace in the first place? To seek the answer to these questions, we should first learn about the events surrounding a young man, which took place around 1996. He was neither a special hero nor a saint. However, the world changed around him in those days.

Part 1: Mission

Drinking party

It was June of 1996 and the smell of asphalt after the rain mingled with the night air.

Three months after graduating from high school, the neon-colored square of the north exit of the train station opposite the prep school I attended was crowded with people. It was a Saturday, so people were hanging out in the square, waiting for each other. I spotted a few of the usual faces under the clock tower. Once the faces were in place, we walked into the cheap pub chain that we decided to go to. We ordered beers, even though we were underage and asked about each other. Yoshio, Hiroshi, and Shoji have been my friends since junior high. I am Kazushi and we would hang out with each other from time to time because we got along somehow. Yoshio, a member of the judo club, was a well-bred man, perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but he was also kind and self-centered. Hiroshi had graduated from a school that was a higher level than mine. We used to hang out together after high school. He is also fun to be with as we can talk about anything.

After a while, Hiroshi suddenly broaches the subject.

“Hey, what's the real reason the world hasn't seen an end to war?”

Yoshio responded reflexively.

“It's so sudden.”

Hiroshi continued.

“UN is calling for papers about “What is a Peaceful Future?” So I've been thinking about the war.”

“Well, isn't it human instinct?　Humans have a fighting instinct. Isn't our destiny to fight? War is unavoidable,” said Yoshio.

A little further away, a group of college students or so had begun arguing about what they said or didn't say. It looked like it was about to turn into a grabbing fight.

I responded to Yoshio, who replied that war was inevitable.

“Well, there are people who get along well with each other, and in many cases, they don't even have to kill each other when they fight. It's not so barbaric anymore. So, Hiroshi, I'm going to apply for a paper to the United Nations.”

“Heh” Hiroshi replied, sounding uninterested for some reason, and then continued.

“Isn't the reason the world hasn't gone out of the war to create tension in the world?　It's a hint of something I read in a fantasy novel. In that novel, there is a witch who takes possession of people and starts a war to destabilize the world. Here's what I think; a sterile society will be extinct. Because there is a certain amount of tension, the society becomes stronger instead of weaker, and it doesn't die out as a whole. The world needs war.”

“Do you approve of the war? Killing each other is so sad. I can't accept that. We should build a world where there are no wars.”

I was starting to get a little pissed off so Shoji changed the subject.

“Isn't that to cover up the capitalist impasse?”

“What do you mean?”

It doesn't ring a bell with Yoshio and I. Hiroshi has a knowing look on his face. 

Shoji continued.

“Capitalism comes with depressions. It encompasses a cycle called the business cycle, and there will always be depression, an excessive recession. In that recession, the discontent was diverted to other sources. During a war, you can't think about the economy because all you can think about is the war. The surplus of people in a recession can be reduced in numbers by killing each other. There will be a shortage, so demand will increase. In the meantime, the economy will recover through the business cycle.”

Upon hearing this, I remembered that Shoji was the smartest among the four of us. He had graduated from one of the best high schools. He was athletic and literate. He was also a well-balanced man who said, “I must enjoy my high school life, I'm going to go to prep school after graduation,” and instead of concentrating on his studies, he studied in moderation and diverted his energy into fun and club activities.

“Then why hasn't capitalism gone away?” Yoshio had an unconvinced look on his face.

“I suppose capitalism is the best thing in the current situation. There are some necessary evils.”

Hiroshi also continued.

“Sometimes that's just the way it is. And terrorism is a form of tension. There are small-scale terrorist attacks that make a society immune and better able to deal with large-scale terrorism. It's a necessary evil.”

I suddenly felt the urge to speak up.

“You can't approve war by saying it's a necessary evil. We should get rid of war. Also, what is terrorism? Terrorists kill people, in some cases, by laying down their own lives. If you're going to lay down your life, why don't you lay down your life to help people? We should build a peaceful society where people don't kill each other.”

“Your logic is right, though.”

“But what?”

“Aren’t you missing something?”

“Let me know if I'm missing something.”

“No, so I don't understand because the logic is right.”

Shoji interrupted.

“It's a good theory.”

I knew there was no point in arguing, but I also felt that this was a story I couldn't argue with and lose. I wasn't sure what to do about it.

“Rather, isn't the real reason why we're fighting the competition for the Earth as a cosmic oasis?”

Hiroshi said.

“What's the big deal again? That's science fiction, right?”

Yoshio responded.

“Why, it might be true, I dare say.”

“What's wrong with you?”

“And the signs of a split in the EU, the conflict in East Asia, the dissonance with Russia, isn't there something wrong with that?”

“I don't know.”

Yoshio seemed disgusted and suddenly changed the subject.

“By the way, I heard you were rejected by Haruko in high school. Hiroshi told me. Well, give it up. She is Shoji's girlfriend now.”

I didn't respond directly to what Yoshio had said.

“Hiroshi, did you tell him?”

“Oh, come on. It's the truth.”

Hiroshi also had a mean streak sometimes.

“What if it's true? Why did you do that?”

I blamed him a little.

The group of college students, who were about to start an argument earlier, were now looking at me with great interest.

Hiroshi's drunken smile changed to a slightly sad one.

“Why? I don't know why. Sometimes I know I'm asking myself why I'm doing this, but I can't stop myself.”

I was ready to forgive him. I realized that I shouldn’t blame him so badly after seeing the sad look on his face.

Seeing me tone it down, the group of college students seemed to have lost interest in us and began to frolic on their own again.

“Don't get so involved. More importantly, how did you confess?”

It was hard to defy Yoshio. And I felt like I wanted to talk to him somehow.

“I'm curious, and I can't concentrate on studying for my exams if I don't. If you'd like, you can come along with me.”

“And then? Yoshio was curious.”

“What do you like about me?” she asked.”

“So what did you say?”

“I hesitated and said, “All of you,” because I liked her.”

Haruko-chan and I were in the English club in high school. She was a pretty little girl with a tiny face and wide eyes. Her name suits her perfectly. Some people said she was acting cute, but to me, she was just adorable. 

There was a time when we went to the community center together to prepare for the English Club’s presentation. She got bored with her studies so switched to playing ping-pong. Before I knew it, I was hooked on Haruko-chan.

“All of you.” So, what did she say when you got rejected?”

Yoshio asked without hesitation. I answered without any particular resistance.

“There was a short pause, and then she said, “I just want to be a normal friend to you.”

Yoshio's pursuit of me loosened up as I showed a pained look on my face.

“You're in a bit of a hurry, aren't you? Well, as I said before, give up. She is Shoji's girlfriend now.”

Shoji was well-liked by everybody and I respected him as a perfect guy. It wasn’t shocking for me that Haruko-chan liked him, and I thought he was more suitable for her than I was.

“Sorry.”

Shoji made an apologetic face.

“You are the man for her. Take good care of her. You two will be fine.”

“It's working anyway, right?”

Yoshio began to get involved and the three of us quickly changed the subject. 

We then talked about the stupid things we did in high school, teachers and other memorable moments.

“Well, I guess we better get going. Let's get together again some other time...”

Shoji summed up the scene. Everyone responded with a “Sure” and the meeting was dismissed.

English Teacher's Waiting Room

This was the day after our drinking session. It was a fine Sunday and my head was clear and I did not feel any hangover.

Mr. Saito was scheduled to come to school for some reason. As promised, he came to the English teacher's waiting room at 11am. He was not only an English teacher, but he was also a certified pastor. He was also the advisor of the English Club I belonged to, and we did not only talk about my studies but I also shared my personal problems with him. 

Unlike me, my sister, who was a Christian, was naturally interested in Christianity and attended his New Testament study group. He was a person with both calm judgment and a warm heart. 

I was afraid to meet him because of a personal request, but I managed to knock on the door. I believe that this door was the gateway to world peace.

“Come in,” he said.

I opened the door just enough to let my face be seen. He was sitting in a chair. When he saw me, he sounded as strong as ever.

“Welcome. Have a seat.”

“I'm always sorry.” I said humbly.

“You don't have to worry about it. How's your sister, by the way?”

“My sister is still the same. She plans to take a break from your study group for a while. She's taking it easy at her own pace.”

He smiled.

“So, you have said you have two things to talk about.”

“Yes. One thing that bothers me, is that I haven't been studying well for my exams.”

I swallowed my saliva and focused my attention on trying to get my thoughts out. I was going to tell him that I would easily forget what I have studied, or I would be unusually sleepy during my prep school classes. Sometimes I would doze off, and yet, I couldn't sleep at night thinking that I wasn't going to get into the university I wanted to attend if I didn't.

I looked over and saw that he was not facing the front, but was sitting on his side with one ear facing me. He had his hands loosely crossed and placed them on the desk.

I felt he was giving his whole attention, trying to take in the story with his whole body. Just the sight of him seemed to make my heart feel better.

In counseling terms, it was probably the ultimate embodiment of “listening”. You don't give your opinion; you just listen to what the client has to say. In my case, I felt that I was already healed because he was willing to listen and his attention was all on me.

Although a doctor prescribed a sleep aid later in order to help me with my sleeping problems, Mr. Saito's listening attitude had saved me in many ways.

“Sir, just seeing you makes me feel somewhat better.”

Mr. Saito looked at me with a quiet, gentle gaze. 

I continued.

“I can handle the exams myself. I'm sorry for bringing up the subject of consultation in a strange way. Anyway, the other topic that I would like to discuss to you about is the open call for papers titled “What is a Peaceful Future” by the United Nations. The deadline is October 1. I sent the manuscript to you by mail as you told me, so please give me the results of your corrections.”

“Okay.”

His eyes seemed to grow brighter.

“First of all, the word “theory” in your Fundamental Theory of Peace. You translate it as Theory, but your sentence should rather be called Philosophy. And then...”

He only seemed to correct grammatical and verbal errors and not touch the content. Since he was an English teacher, I thought, well, it was only natural.

“You’re calling it Joyous Coexisting, but it should be Coexistence. By the way.”

 

Now he’s talking about the content.

“By the way, about this Joyous Coexistence, you wrote in your Japanese manuscript that true peace is “a society where people live together with joy.” Why do you think so? I think you’ve written about it in detail, but I'd like you to explain it to me verbally.”

I was happy to see the interest shown. I guess I had been expecting it on the inside.

“Yes, sir. Human beings do not live alone. I believe that there is always a connection between people. The question is whether or not that relationship exists, and that is what is lacking in today's peace. I think that having a relationship with others means living together, which is what we now call “coexistence,” but I don't think it's enough. Even if we coexist, there may still be conflict. That's why we have to think about what coexistence should be like. That's what I've been thinking about.”

He had a much calmer expression on his face. I continued to be reassured.

I think human beings are living beings and their nerves are based on pleasure and pain. Then, I thought that relationships between people should be pleasant or unpleasant, and that it is peaceful to have pleasant relationships with each other. 

I thought the word “pleasure” was too biological, so I chose the word “joy.” Based on this idea, I defined it as “Joyous Coexistence.”

He seemed to be consciously not turning his gaze towards me, but when he finished speaking, he gave me a quiet look.

“How do you see the world today in terms of your “Joyous Coexistence?”

He asked.

“The world now?” I managed to get the words out.

As for the paper, I thought it was okay as long as it was theoretical and vaguely realistic. How about in “today's world?”

Wars and conflicts are still going on in many parts of the world. Which of these should I answer?

“Are you familiar with the Conflict in the former Yugoslavia?”

I had seen the name of the country before.

“I'm sure I've seen the name of the country in a world history textbook, but was there ever a conflict?”

I didn't feel that ignorance was pointed out to me at all. It seemed to me that it was an issue that I should have known about.

“It's been a while since a peace agreement was reached in the US last year. I can't say that it's absolutely safe, but I think you have a lot to learn. Studying for the exams is the most important thing, but I think it's also good to study for about a week with your own eyes. The capital of Yugoslavia is Belgrade, but you should visit Sarajevo. How about going to Sarajevo?”

He suggested.

It was the name of a city I'd heard of somewhere.

“Sarajevo, Sir?”

“Yeah. You'll find out the rest. Don't look at me like you're worried about everything. Think about it. Well, you can always come back to me if you need anything else.”

I knew that he was willing to guide me but I also knew that he was a busy person.

“Thank you.” I added.

What the pastor suggested was interesting. Studying about Yugoslavia seems to be convenient for me, because I have chosen world history as a subject for the exam. I can find a number of the related terms in Yamakawa publishing's world history glossary, a standard reference book for the exam.

With this, I started pedaling my bike in the strong sunshine.

I can study in a quiet, air-conditioned library, or I can study in my favorite room in my new house. There was a strange feeling of expectation that it would lead to good exam scores, and a mixture of anticipation and anxiety about whether my logic would work in reality.

I'm looking forward to moving on.

I then accelerated my bike.

Shoji

Returning to my room at home, I turned on the air conditioner and threw my bag on my desk and pulled out Yamakawa Shuppan's “World History Glossary” from among the reference books on my bookshelf. It was a book that acted like a simple dictionary for world history examinations. I immediately looked up “Yugoslavia” from the index.

In 1929, the Kingdom of Serb-Croat-Slovene is reorganized and renamed after a coup d'état by the king. In December 1918, the Kingdom of Serb-Croat-Slovene declared its independence from Austria and was formally recognized by the Treaty of Saint-Germain; proclaimed dictatorship in 1929; it was renamed to the “Kingdom of Yugoslavia”. 

What I have read so far was not clear. It must have been about the situation quite a long time ago, and there is no mention of the current state of affairs.

“Umm, wasn't Yugoslavia a communist country in Eastern Europe?”

“Didn't it side with the Soviet Union in the US-Soviet Cold War after World War II?”

I had such a vague memory. I flipped through my world history textbook to check, but I couldn't find it.

What should I do? I pondered for a bit, and then quickly came up with the idea of talking to the smartest man in my friends, Shoji.

Shoji had been an excellent student since elementary school, scoring all five on a scale of one to five on a correspondence sheet. 

When I was in the fifth grade, I met Shoji from a common friend. I think he wrote in his elementary school graduation book that he wanted to become a vice-minister of Okurasho (former ministry of finance) to improve the Japanese economy in the future. Though young as a schoolboy, he wanted to become a vice-minister, a top clerical officer involved in the actual business of the ministry, rather than a minister. 

We were in the same class for three years in junior high school, and he often encouraged me when I was vulnerable. However, there was an incident when Shoji scribbled heavily on my bag for some reason but he paid for it. I trusted him far more than I resented him for it. 

He was a smart, caring older brother. In the ninth grade, he was student body president and a regular on the basketball team.

He went to one of the top high schools in Tokyo, where about 10 students pass the Tokyo University entrance examinations directly after graduation every year.

It was just after 9:30 pm. Dinner would have been over and there would be no problem to make a phone call. 

The street through the screen door, which was completely dark, was illuminated by a streetlight. I could see the family in the house across the street looked like they were watching TV.

Over the phone, Shoji was as calm as ever. When he talked about his studies, he became lively, which was somehow reliable and comfortable.

“Hmm. If you're looking for books and magazines, I think you should go to the National Diet Library. Most of the books published in Japan should be there.”

Shoji replied happily.

“I think it's definitely better than looking in your local bookstore or library. If you enter 'Yugoslavia' in the terminal they have, you should be able to find a lot of books. You should be able to look it up.” He added.

During those days, each household could not easily search the Internet for books and articles, unlike today.

“But...”

Shoji continued.

“Are you sure you want to take the test doing that?”

I was a little nervous, but I composed myself and answered.

“Mr. Saito said it could be done for a week or so.”

I had the feeling that he would say I should stop after all, but surprisingly, he did not.

“Yeah. I see. Mr. Saito is sending you to Yugoslavia. Yes, that's a good idea.”

I was somewhat relieved.

“But don't get upset about small things. Well, I suppose it's a good match for your weaknesses and your anti-war principles.”

“Yes, I am. Yes, I am a pacifist. I even think the Self-Defense Forces should be eliminated.”

At that time, I seriously believed that the SDF should be eliminated. I think we should have them now, though, because of the need for defense.

“We would be at war because we have an army. The international community will not allow a defenseless country without an army to be invaded.”

“But now, what are you going to do if we're really under attack?” He questioned.

“I think we should surrender then and avoid the war.”

Shoji clearly refuted these words.

“I think there are times to fight.”

After saying this, Shoji realized that there is no use in arguing about this with me. 

“Well, but I think you're better off just the way you are.” He quickly said.

I wasn’t sure whether he was being honest when he said this.

“By the way, have you ever heard of Kakuyasu or a cheap airline ticket?”

“What is that?” I asked.

“They're selling cheap tickets for group travel, practically to individual travelers. It's pretty cheap.”

That could be good information.

“Can you buy a regular one?”

“There's a magazine on sale that features it. You can find the cheapest of them. Well, that should get you some cheap tickets, but overall, is the money okay?”

That was a problematic question.

“I saved up in high school doing part-time jobs, and for the rest, I think I'll borrow the money from my parents. It's a promotion payment.”

“I think it's a good idea if your parents agree.”

He said.

“And don't you think you should first learn some simple words in their language?”

“That is the plan”, I replied, and he gave me further information.

“I heard there are some basic conversation books for various languages, so why don't you go to the library and check those out too?”

It seemed a bit too detailed.

“How do you even know that?”

“Oh,” Shoji continued to explain. He seemed to notice the suspicious tone on my voice.

“My brother used to buy them to study when he traveled abroad.”

“I see.” It was then clear to me.

Shoji continued.

“And It’s not just a trip. You should talk to someone who knows the area. You should trace back to the authors of books and magazines that have written about Yugoslavia, as well as the authors of the references and articles at the end of the book. That’s all that I could think of.”

“Thanks for everything.” I said.

“Call me anytime if you need help. Well, have a safe trip.”

“See you later.”

With all that information from Shoji, I felt more motivated to learn about Yugoslavia. 

Preliminary Investigation

It was a Sunday of June 17. 

From the exit of the Nagatacho subway station, the Diet Building was just around the corner, and the National Diet Library was just across the street.

Upon entering the library, I quickly typed “Yugoslavia” into the library's online search.

I found a number of books which I decided to borrow. This included language and introductory books. I also ordered a few books from the bookstore which eventually arrived. I didn't think it was right to do all these things, but I continued to study for the exams while attending a prep school. The summer semester was almost there.

Yugoslavia had seven borders, six republics, five ethnic groups, four languages, three religions, two alphabets, and was said to be one nation.

The seven borders meant that it borders Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania.

The six republics were Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The five ethnic groups were Croats, Serbs, Slovenians, Macedonians and Montenegrins.

The four languages were Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian and Macedonian.

The three religions were Orthodox, Catholic and Islam.

The two alphabets were the Cyrillic letters and the Latin letters.

And one nation, Yugoslavia.

Two of the four languages, Serbian and Croatian, were listed as “Serbo-Croatian” in the “Basic Language Series”. 

The reason for the names together as “Serbo-Croatian” was that the only difference is whether they use Cyrillic or Latin letters, and the rest are almost the same language. 

“Soccer” is “Nogomet” in Croatian, and “Fudbal” in Serbian. These differences were emphasized from the time of the conflict. 

The word “Yugo” in “Yugoslavia” means “South.” Therefore, Yugoslavia means “South Slavic country”. 

They were almost identical racially, and the ethnic groups were divided according to religion. 

In the 6th and 7th centuries, the Slavs migrated south and settled in the Balkans, and by the 8th and 9th centuries, they had accepted Christianity. In 1054, the old Catholic Church was divided into two; the Western side became Catholic and the Eastern side became Orthodox. 

Serbia became free from the Eastern Roman Empire in the mid-11th century, and the Serbian Orthodox Church gained the status of an independent Orthodox Church in 1219. 

Later, around the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks moved in and took control of most of the Balkans. Some of the Slavs converted to Islam, the Ottoman state religion. 

The Ottomans did not force all people to convert but allowed a certain amount of religious freedom. Hence, Catholicism and Orthodoxy were preserved in Muslim-dominated areas. 

On the other hand, the area around present-day Croatia and Slovenia belonged to Catholic Austria, which bordered on the Ottoman Empire. Thus, in Yugoslavia, the three main religions have come to exist side by side.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was established after the Second World War. During the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, as a third force, it was not a member of either side and established its own socialist system. 

When Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, civil war broke out with the federal side (mainly Serbia), which tried to prevent independence. When Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in 1992, the Serbian and Croatian sides moved into the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war became a swampy civil war.

Bosnia was rich in mineral resources, and Croatia and Serbia, both of which were in industrial areas, did not want to give up their mineral resources. 

The governments and the media in each of the republics, which were original of different religions and ethnic groups, took the lead in denouncing the other's ethnicity and religion as demonic and emphasizing their negative aspects. Therefore, people hated and killed each other. Some of the religious leaders and nationalists were active in this regard at times.

In the midst of all this, there is a city that has maintained peaceful coexistence. I was told that this was Sarajevo. 

Ironically, when Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence, the Yugoslav Federal Army laid siege to Sarajevo. However, there were not only Muslims in the siege, but also Croats and Serbs. What was being destroyed was the coexistence of the city; the coexistence of ethnic and religious groups. 

Even in such a desperate situation, people kept up their humor and maintained coexistence. This must be the reason why Mr. Saito recommended going to Sarajevo.

I had a few questions about religion as I was collecting information. I could ask him and I knew that he would answer them, so I decided to give him a call.

Love your enemy.

“Sir, I learned that there is a dispute between Catholics, Orthodox, and Muslims in Yugoslavia. But Jesus is supposed to be the Son of God, and he was recognized as a prophet in Islam, right? Isn't there something wrong with that?”

Mr. Saito was quietly listening to my one-sided questions. 

I continued.

“Then again, I think religion should play a role in healing people and promoting reconciliation. How did we get to this point?”

Mr. Saito answered in a clear tone of voice.

“It's important to have the perspective that it's because of religion. You should read more about world history. Jesus is sometimes described in English as a mutual holy one. It is an expression of a common holy being. It's not a Christian saint, but the one that transcends the boundaries of Christianity.”

He continued.

“It's also important to have a perspective on political reality. As a way of maintaining security and achieving justice, bad politics can sometimes make some people suffer and kill them. When religion is incorporated into politics, its ideals become different in substance. At the very least, there is a realistic line of thinking that seeks the “greatest happiness of the greatest number,” but there are many times when that is not the case.”

I concluded, dreading the fact that I had taken up so much of his time again.

“Thank you very much,” I said and I quickly ended the call.

The call with Mr. Saito made me more curious. How could this be despite the presence of a common holy being? It was different from the image I had of Christianity.

When I hear Christianity, I always picture the image of the cross and Christmas. Jesus Christ was crucified to save mankind and Christmas is a day to celebrate his birth.

Mr. Saito once explained this in a very broad sense. Christianity can be described as follows. Jesus, the Son of God, who died on the cross for the atonement of mankind's sins, rose again three days later and returned to heaven. Those who believe in him will have eternal life, and those who do not believe in him will go to hell.

Prior to that, Mr. Saito focused primarily on Jesus as a “rare” individual in his words and actions.

I believe it's more important to do what Jesus taught than to believe that whoever believes in Jesus as the Son of God will be saved.

Jesus' teaching is simple.

Per Matthew 19-16, we read the following statement,

A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. If you want to have eternal life, you must obey his commandments”

He asks Jesus again, “Which ones? “

The commandments of Moses are 611 in number. If we add the two laws of God's own, the total number of commandments is said to be 613.

God's commandments are very detailed indeed. It even mentions how to offer sacrifices, how to purify oneself, and how to dress. And if you disobey, there is a vengeance by God.

In the midst of those numerous commandments, Jesus answers simply.

“Do not murder.

Be faithful in marriage.

Do not steal.

Do not tell lies about others.

Respect your father and mother.

And love others as much as you love yourself.”

It’s only six, but it’s a heavy teaching. Jesus teaches many other things in the parables, but in response to the question, “How to get eternal life?” he says in this passage from Matthew that we need to keep the six teachings.

Incidentally, there is the following exchange around Luke 10-25-37

“Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?”

One expert in the Law of Moses tried and asked Jesus. According to Jewish teachings, to keep all the laws is to obey the will of God. If he hadn't answered that, he could have sued.

So Jesus asks, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?” he asks in reverse.

He replied, “The Scriptures say, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind,” They also say “Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself””

Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

He asks Jesus further, “Who are my neighbors?

The “neighbors” are not limited to close relatives. It includes strangers as well. As you can clearly see, Jesus tells the following parable.

As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. Later, a temple helper came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side. A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him and went over to him. He treated his wound with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 

The next morning, he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

 The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

It may be difficult for us in today's society to act as good neighbors, but this parable can at least provide a hint for us to “live a good life”. Jesus is also likely telling us to do the same. 

Actions are better than words, I suppose.

In the Gospel of John 13-34,

“(But)I am giving you a new command. You must love each other (just as I have loved you).”

The word “each other” here means “one another” in English, that is, not limited to a special relationship such as family or lovers, but it can also be the relationship between strangers. In other words, it means that we should love each other no matter who the other is.

This is the new command of Jesus.

However, I don't believe that all the words of the Bible are consistent and correct.

I'm not deeply concerned about whether Jesus is the Son of God or what God is in the first place.

I wonder if we should follow all the commandments in the Bible to the letter.  I think that some of these teachings may be right and some of them may be wrong.

I am particularly uncomfortable with the following statement:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. Your worst enemies will be in your own family. If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.” (Matthew 10:34-37)

“I came to set fire to the earth and I surely wish it were already on fire! Do you think that I came to bring peace to earth? No indeed. I came to make people choose sides.” (Luke 12:49,51)

I guess I'm not a Christian in the sense that I don't endorse such statements and teachings.

However, I believe that the New Testament contains a wealth of valuable lessons in the words of Jesus to bring peace. I believe that Jesus liberated mankind from the bondage of the blasphemous commandments that followed from Judaism to a great extent and reminded us of the important rules for human society to be at peace.

If you choose only the good parts, Jesus is a messenger of peace.

But wait, there was a “Massacre of Saint Barthelemy” in Europe, I remember.

This made me review the world history glossary.

“In the early hours of August 24, 1572 (the Feast of St. Barthelemy), the Old School(Catholic believers) killed all the new sects(Protestants) that had gathered in Paris for a royal wedding in a surprise attack. The battle between the old and the new sects raged through the court and led to chaos.”

Mr. Hiro Sachiya's explanation of the differences between the new religion and the old religion is as follows.

The new religion is called Protestantism.

That is, a group of people who resisted (protested) and protested (protested) against the old church and professed (protested) their way of being.

What is the old way?

1. Traditionalism... The revelation of God's teachings requires the intervention of the church.

2. Salvation by the sacraments - a “sacrament” such as baptism is necessary to obtain God's salvation.

3. An ecclesiastical hierarchy with the Pope at the top

In response to these, the new religion is:

1. The only basis for God's truth is the Bible

2. Christians are justified by faith alone.

3. Every congregation is a priest

Moreover, I thought Christianity was a more peaceful religion, but what is it with the new and old denominations killing each other?

Looking back at history, I'm reminded that Christianity has been involved in warfare quite a bit, and the Thirty Years War from 1618 was part of the religious wars. Come to think of it, my sister was in Mr. Saito’s Bible reading group, so maybe she would know the answer.

She got home after 10pm as she had a late shift. She got a job at a language teaching company and now she is in charge of sales at a bookstore.

 “Sis, I don't remember Christianity as a religion that kills each other. It's kind of weird when you study world history.”

She looked calm.

“Have you ever read the New Testament?” She asked.

“Of course I have. The Bible was the best seller in the world, right?”

“We have the Old Testament at home, but that's the Jewish Bible. And the New Testament is the Christian Bible. I suggest you read the teachings of Jesus again. In Matthew 5:43-48, it says, “Love your enemies.” I suggest you read there again.”

That's what she said, and I followed.

“You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.

But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.

Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven.

He makes the sun rise for both good and bad people.

And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong.

If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that?

Even tax collectors love their friends.

If you greet only your friends, What’s so great about that?

Don’t even unbelievers do that?

But you must always act like your Father in heaven.

When I read this, I felt strange.

Jesus Christ taught us to love our enemies. In another place, he said “Do not kill” as an “rule”.

Did Jesus teach us to kill each other?

The answer would be no. And yet you're so obsessed with the old religion and the new religion that you've forgotten the teachings of Jesus.

What about in Yugoslavia? The Catholics, the Orthodox Church and Islam are said to be fighting with each other.

Would Jesus, the Common Holy Being, really approve of such a conflict? But what exactly is “love” anyway?

This made me think about the fact that Haruko-chan rejected me, so maybe I was a little sensitive to the word love.

The following day, I decided to call Mr. Saito again. He always seemed to be very cheerful when he talked about Christianity, which made me feel somewhat better. I waited for about 9:00 p.m., which would be less of a nuisance, and asked him.

“Sir, the Bible says love your enemies, but is there such a thing as love? I can't love someone I hate. But what is love exactly?”

Whether he knew about my issue with Haruko-chan's or not, he still answered cheerfully.

 “The ancient Greeks considered there are four kinds of love: Eros, the love between a man and a woman; Philia, the love of friendship; Storge, the love of family; and Agape, the unconditional love. When he says, “Love your enemies,” he's talking about “agape,” the love of God that doesn't ask for anything in return.”

He continued, “Incidentally, it is said that Jesus was speaking in Aramaic, but the oldest surviving Bible is written in Greek. As the Bible passage says. He makes the sun rise for both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. In other words, we are to love even our enemies with this “agape”.

I felt like I understood the meaning of the Bible, which I hadn't been able to get into even after reading it once. Well, it seems to be an important key word for thinking about coexistence.

“Sir, I would like to use this as a reference for my paper. I will add some parts, so please correct my English again.”

“Yes. Bring it back later.” He concluded.

As I ended the call, it occurred to me to call Hiroshi.

“Oh, how are you? I was calling Mr. Saito.”

“You do that a lot. So what’s up?” He asked.

“I was asking about love.”

“Love? What do you mean?”

I could picture the smile on Hiroshi's face on the other end of the phone.

“Hiroshi, you've always been interested in peace, haven't you? I thought of it this way. You kill your enemies, and that's why you have conflicts and wars. So why don't we just love our enemies?”

“Hmm. Then you, dude, there's a book called How to Love Your Enemy.” He suggested.

“That's oddly pinpointed. How do you know those books?”

“Yeah, well, sort of. Anyway, I've read How to Love Your Enemy.”

“Great. So tell me about it.”

“I don't remember exactly, but Can I just tell you a summary?”

“First of all, think of the enemy as a running truck. If you hit it, it will kill you. So, you have to anticipate the path and avoid colliding with it. Keep your distance. If you can't keep your distance from the enemy, then change the way you think about them. Or change your inner self to eliminate the enemy itself.”

“I don't understand the second half of it,” I said.

“They're the enemy because you only see the hateful side of the enemies. Enemies have families, friends. They may even have pets. You have to imagine how they see the enemy. And then you can see the lovable side of them. They say you have to put yourself in the enemy's shoes. Changing your inner self means controlling your anger and jealousy, increasing your empathy, and so on, and eliminating the enemy itself. In other words, you no longer see the other person as an enemy. They become your friends and teachers.”

“I don't know if I can do that.”

“I think you need to train to think, imagine, meditate, etc.  Again, it's an English book, originally titled “Love Your Enemies”.

“Okay. But that's very feminine. You're not trying to stop or change the other person, you're trying to work things out on your side.”

“Yes. In the book's preface it says, “I wrote it specifically for women”.

“Maybe passively so. Do you change only yourself without changing your opponent? But realistically, there are times when you have to fight, right? There has to be a time when you have to stop the enemy in order to help someone else. Also, I think it's important to change your opponent.”

“I didn't see anything in the book about that. In reality, it may be true. If you want to live with those who like to hurt and kill you, you can think about changing them, but of course they don't want to be “changed”, do they?”

“Yeah.”

“As a passive move, you influence others by changing yourself. In other words, be a good example to them. In this way, you expect them to change.”

“It's frustrating.”

“But forcing someone to be changed is mind control and not respecting their individuality. On the other hand, you wouldn't want the other person to change you, would you? This is a delicate issue. Well, it's something I've been thinking about a lot, too.”

 “For example, it seems to me that there's a “Love Your Enemy” for peace, for transcending confrontation, rather than the non-resistance, submissive “Love Your Enemy” of “When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek” for example. More to the point, well, you're going to Yugoslavia rather than this abstract stuff, aren't you? Why don't you think about “loving” specifically in the case of Yugoslavia? And you know what, I've heard that it's also loving not to let them do evil.”

“Thank you. I'll talk to you later.” I said and ended the call.

I put down the receiver and encouraged myself to think.

It is said that in Yugoslavia there was “fraternity and unity” through Tito-led socialism.

What was the reality? What's going on now? My interest grew.

Let's go. Let's see for myself. I continued to gather more information for my trip to Yugoslavia.

The Newspaper Company

It was August 5th, Monday, when I followed Shoji’s advice to look for authors and reporters of books and magazines. Luckily, I was able to find a reporter who wrote an article about Sarajevo. I called the newspaper company that he was working for and I was able to speak to him and ask for his availability.  

The reporter happened to be available during the week so I immediately went to their office.

“I have talked with you a bit over the phone. Do you speak English?”

The question was a bit abrupt, but I regained my composure.

“It's not so bad.”

“Well, that's okay, I guess. they're well-educated and young people can speak English.”

The short-haired, neatly but casually dressed reporter went on like it was nothing.

“As for the language, I think the rest is alphabets and numbers. Can you read the Cyrillic alphabet?　And then the situation on the ground, do you get the basics?”

“Yes. I've read some introductory books, and I'm learning the basic language series. And I've also read a book about a war photographer who covered Bosnia.”

Then the reporter said:

“I don't like reporters who cover the military because they seem to be used to promote the country.” He said in an exaggerated tone. 

I thought maybe he was testing me.

I responded, “It's true that some of the coverage would be taken advantage of, but thanks to those people, we were able to gain valuable information about the field that we rarely knew.”

Then the reporter nodded. Did he agree with what I said?

The reporter looked into the distance. Without making eye contact, the reporter asked.

“Why do you want to go to Sarajevo?”

My answer to this would be a very important point, so I explained to him that I was about to submit a paper to the United Nations on “What is a Peaceful Future?”. Going to Sarajevo would help me with this in terms of understanding what is peaceful coexistence transcending ethnic and religious conflicts for reference.

“Okay”. The reporter answered and became silent.

I felt that I would need a little more reinforcement, and added another implication of this visit that I was beginning to understand.

“Could the act of reaffirming coexistence also be a push for peace?”

The reporter seemed to be thinking about it, looking into the distance, but these words seemed to encourage him. The reporter looked at me with gentle eyes and began to speak.

“The airport in Sarajevo is not reopened yet. There are only land routes, but there are buses from Zagreb, Croatia. As you know, there are nationalists and extremists not only among Serbs, but also among Croats and Muslims. There have been many massacres. Common sense dictates that you avoid dangerous areas.”

The reporter also said something surprising.

“The currency should be in Deutschmarks.”

“Should it be Deutsche Mark”?

“Deutsche Mark will work in Croatia and in Bosnia.

Lastly, and I repeat, don't go into a dangerous area, even if it is Sarajevo.”

There was a heavy persuasion in the reporter's deep eyes as he said that. Somehow the mood was such that I didn't say anything more, so I thanked him and left. Amidst the noise of the city and the passing cars, the sky was clear with white clouds floating across the newspaper building.

To Sarajevo via Moscow

Wednesday, September 4. The cheapest airline was somewhat unenthusiastic, and I chose the next cheapest airline, Aeroflot of Russia.

According to the newspaper reporter, there was a bus service from Zagreb, the capital of the Republic of Croatia, but there was no direct flight to Zagreb, so I had to go via Moscow.

 The flight time to Moscow was about 11 hours. After staying overnight, I was scheduled to take an early morning flight to Zagreb the next day. 

Hiroshi and Shoji came to Narita Airport to see me off. Haruko-chan, on the other hand, did not come. It was only natural, since I had been rejected. 

Even if she had come, it would have been awkward and the atmosphere would have been strange.

“Be careful, man.”

Said Shoji who was, as always, like an older brother.

“Come back safe.”

The sometimes nasty Hiroshi seemed to be worried about me.

“I'll manage. I'll have fun.” I said while waving goodbye.

On the large third floor where the various airline check-in counters were located, there was a long uphill escalator that led to the departure hall. I was separated from them at that gate, leaving at 3:10 p.m. The plane took off shortly, and after a flight of about 11 hours, we arrived at the Moscow airport.

What time did I get there? According to the watch on my wrist, it was just after four in the morning, but the time should have been off due to the flight. I looked at a nearby clock and saw that it was 7:50 p.m., so I set my watch to it.

It looked bleak outside and the airport lights were gloomy. I stayed at the hotel I was taken to and left early the next morning. We landed at the Zagreb airport in a few hours, and as the plane moved along the runway, I saw the red and white checkered Croatian flag here and there. 

This checkered pattern matched the one that had been raised by the Croatian nationalist group “Ustashe”. The “Ustasha” is said to have killed between 700,000 and 1 million Serbs during World War II. 

Patriotism is fine, but given our past history, something needs to change. If we are better people than others, we should be better in love, loving even our enemies. It was not only the “Ustasha” who committed the massacre. It is said that the Serbian “Chetniks” and the Muslim “Mujahidin” organization also committed genocide against other peoples. It will be necessary to spread the teaching of “Do not kill.” It took about 30 minutes from the airport by bus to arrive at the Zagreb Central Railway Station in the city.

Zagreb is just as you would expect a European city to look like. White Western-style buildings lined the streets, and streetcars were running between them. Families, young people, and all sorts of people are bustling about. 

In Japan, it would be like the Ginza of Tokyo. In the square, there was a statue of a man riding a horse. Walking further down the street, I found a McDonald's restaurant.

I didn't know there was a McDonald's in this area. I felt a sense of familiarity with this place. I finished my meal and looked for a bus stop. 

After checking the bus stop and its schedule, I decided to take the bus at 8:30 am. I stayed at the hostel I had checked beforehand, and boarded the bus the next morning.

As the bus drove off, it seemed that the area around the Croatian capital was still spared from the war. As we passed through a series of beautiful towns and well-maintained highways, the small reddish-brown, tiled-roofed houses became sparser and sparser. 

In between, the brown of the field land, the gold of the wheat and the blue of the sky contrasted nicely. The big bus for the tour drove on through it all.

Gradually, gunshot wounds, houses with holes in the walls and roofless houses became scattered here and there. I could feel that I was getting closer to what had been a battlefield. 

The air in the bus also felt somehow heavier. The further I left Zagreb, the more I could see the scars of the war. On the way, we stopped at the port town of Split and arrived in Sarajevo in the evening after a couple of breaks.

Sarajevo - The Tour Company “Lily”

Friday, September 6. It's past four in the evening, but it's still bright, and the place where the bus stopped was not just a bus stop, but rather a vacant lot at the back of the building. 

Finally, I arrived in Sarajevo. The feeling of anticipation for the upcoming events was high. The surroundings were like one of the modern European streets that I had seen on TV or in photos. There were a lot of people walking down the main street. 

Since Muslim women should have been wearing headscarves, I should have been able to recognize the difference between Muslim women at a glance, but from a cursory glance, there was no ethnic or religious difference in people's clothes. 

They must have their own characteristics, but I guess the average “citizen” is almost the same. The clear sky was sparsely littered with thin clouds. From the information I'd been privy to, it seemed I'd been expecting too much, but from the appearance of such, the heat had cooled somewhat.

The streets of Sarajevo are older than Zagreb and probably smaller in size. According to the map, the city stretches from east to west, and this was supposed to be located in the governmental district. The city seems to be coming back to life, but several buildings have been abandoned and destroyed. The streetcars running through the town also seemed to have restarted. After a short walk, I came to vantage point along the Miljacka River, which runs east to west through the center of the city. From there, I could see the hills surrounding the town, and many reddish-brown roof-tiled houses could be seen on the slopes.

This is no time for strolling. Let's find a hotel.

When I returned to the city center and walked down the main street, I found a signboard that said ‘Lily Tour’ in English. The lily was a flower on the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which Sarajevo is the capital. Lily occupied a space on the first floor. Looking in through the glass, I saw a blonde woman who seemed to be in charge, and a young, semi-long, equally female office worker.

When I walked in, I was greeted with a smile by a woman who seemed to be in charge. Perhaps that's why she was so easy to talk to.

“I'm looking for a hotel to stay at. I'd like to find a cheap place to stay.”

The woman responded with a smile.

“It's cheaper to stay in a private home, what do you want to do?”

“A private house? How much is it for a night?”

“From 40 Mark”

“That’s fine”

The woman who agreed to it seemed to leave the formalities to the young woman's clerk.

“She'll show you the way.”

And then she was replaced. The clerk sat down at the counter, her eyes full of curiosity and a bright smile. I guess it's rare to find an Oriental.

“My name is Ida. How many nights are you staying?”

“Four nights.” I responded.

Then Ida said, “Wait a minute,” and began to call.

The caller would be the owner of the house. Soon Ida said. “It will be okay, you can stay there. I'll show you his name and number and a map of where the house is.”

And then she began to write his name on the note. Then a woman who seemed to be in charge came up to her and said something to Ida. 

When she heard that, she said “I'll show you where it is on foot.”

She said with a charming smile on her face.

Not long after we left Lily, Ida spoke to me.

“Where did you come from?”

“I am from Japan and I’m currently writing a paper about peace. I know I would learn more about coexistence and peace here in Sarajevo, so I came.”

“I'm a university student working part-time at Lily's. Where are you going in Sarajevo?” She said.

“Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim organizations, and the press.”

“Do you need me to translate for you?”

Ida’s suggestion was a good idea but I don’t think my budget would allow it, so I decided to do it on my own.

“Thank you, but I don't have much money with me, so I can't pay. Besides, people here speak English. I'm sure I can work something out.” I explained.

Soon, we arrived at a house. A small, single-story house. A shadowy old man came out and exchanged a few words with Ida. The old man could speak English, and Ida told me to pay him directly for my stay. I thanked her and was about to enter the house when Ida spoke to me.

“Wait, you're staying four nights, can't you free up a day? I'll give you a little tour of the city. I'm sure one more friend will be there.”

Her semi-long blonde hair contrasted beautifully with her white face. An elaborately crafted nose. But somewhere in the blue eyes, a shadow that wasn't just fondness fell as well. Still, it was fine. There would be more to gain.

“How about the third day, on Monday?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, see you at 10:00 a.m., Lily.”

On the business card I received, I wrote “Moon 10:00” in Chinese characters.

“That's kanji. And “moon” must mean Monday. Interesting.”

I knew that the East looks different to Westerners.

“So, if I'm alive, I'll see you later.”

I jokingly said goodbye to her and entered the house.

The elderly house owner and I could communicate in English. Since we were not native speakers, he spoke not too fast and his English was simple and easy to understand. We made an appointment to visit an Orthodox church, a Muslim organization, and a Catholic church over the phone. 

I was told that there would be no meal served at the house, so later that day, I went out and ate at a burger stand. The hamburger was just two pieces of bread with meat and a few vegetables, but the quality of both was good yet cheap.

I felt a small sense of joy that I was happy to be there.

Merhamet

Saturday, September 7. I didn't find any address of an Islamic mosque in Sarajevo in books I read in Japan, but I did find the contact information for the Islamic humanitarian aid organization Merhamet. 

In Sarajevo, Muslims and Christians were cooperating in humanitarian aid across religious conflicts and differences. It was also said that Merhamet received aid mainly from Saudi Arabia, which is a wealthy Muslim country.

I visited the office at 1:30 p.m., as I had promised to do on the phone. It was a Saturday and the office was closed, but they had offered to meet with me. A man who is neatly dressed in a suit greeted me. He was with his daughter, who I think was in high school. He gave me his business card which had the title “Director” on it.

However, he seemed uneasy about something. I then told him that I was from Japan and that I was interested in peace and coexistence in Sarajevo. He seemed reassured to some extent.

“Our cooperation is there, but not so much. Some of our facilities have been destroyed in the conflict. For example, our office, which had five computers, was destroyed by mortar fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties.” He shared.

His vigilance still didn't seem to be lifted, so I decided to take it one step further.

“I think in Japan, probably like in many other countries, the peace cooperation between Islam and Christianity is not well known. I think it's very important to let people know about it. Can you tell us more about it?”

The man looked a little somewhat pained.

“There are people like us who will help others, and there are people who oppose us. But I will tell you. We have worked with the Jewish charity Benevolent Volunteers and the Catholic charity Caritas in providing humanitarian aid.”

He continued, “For example, we have provided food aid to refugees, visited the elderly and the sick, and provided artificial limbs to those who have lost their limbs in the conflict. What I want to convey in particular is the Islamic spirit of humanitarian aid. In the Islamic tradition, when you give, you don't pay attention to who you are giving to. Naturally, across ethnic and religious lines, we give support to Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs on an equal basis with those who believe in Islam.”

This information was, after all, almost unknown in Japan.

“Do you have any documentation of the time you worked together on humanitarian aid? I think that would be evidence. If we had that, we might be able to spread some of it around in Japan.”

“Okay. Then you'll have to wait a minute.”

The director made me wait and went to the other room to get some materials. The girl must have understood English. When our eyes met, she smiled at me. She had a slabby white skin and short blonde hair. 

Soon the director returned.

“I think this will help.”

The director held out a sheet of A4 paper. The paper, written in Serbo-Croatian, had a signature at the end.

I didn't think it was much of a document, but it would be a document that would be in evidence. This would be about the only thing I could receive as a sudden visitor.

“Thank you.” I said.

I handed him my contact information and sat up.

The director and the girl walked me to the entrance.

He looked like he was going to say something, but it was away, regardless of what it was.

When I returned to the house I was staying at, I left a note of the day's events in my notebook and laid down on my bed. I thought to myself, Muslims and Christians were working together on humanitarian aid. I was happy to realize that there was hope.

Orthodox Church

Sunday, September 8. A day to visit the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. I had called the Orthodox Church in advance and made the following communication with them.

“Hello, Is it the Orthodox Church? Do you speak English?” I asked.

“Yes,”

“My name is Kazushi, and I am a Japanese student and I am interested in solving the conflict in Yugoslavia. I would like to know about the peace activities of the Orthodox Church. May I visit you?”

“Yes. Sunday is our service day. You can attend the service if you want. I'll see you afterwards.”

“What time is the service?”

“At 10 o'clock. My name is Mirkovich, the priest. Please speak to me after the service.” He answered.

“All right. I'll visit on Sunday.”

During the day of my visit, there was no inspection at the entrance to the church, and we were free to enter. People buzzed in, but inside the heavy, majestic church, it was naturally quiet.

Soon a dignified man's voice went through the church. A man who seemed to be a priest spoke something in Serbo-Croatian as if he were singing. From time to time he stopped his voice and waved his staff with the incense on it. The white smoke flickers with each occurrence. The voice echoes again, as if to drown out the smoke.

I thought the church was supposed to be a sermon or a lecture or something like that. I thought I didn't understand Serbo-Croatian, but I thought I understood what he meant when he told me to come to the service.

But to my surprise, this is a teaching in the form of a ceremony.

After about half an hour, the voices stopped and people gathered in front of them in a line.

The man, who appeared to be a priest, tore off a bit of bread from the basket, and one by one, the people put it in their mouths and left the line to go home. 

As the last one was leaving, I met the priest's eyes.

“Are you Kazushi?” He asked.

“Yes, I'm from Japan. It's nice to meet you.”

“Follow me.”

With that, the priest led me to an office adjacent to the church.

“What were your questions?”

I asked frankly to him following his words.

“Yes. I heard that in Sarajevo, there is coexistence across religious divides. What work did the Orthodox Church do for peace?”

The priest was silent for a while.

Eventually, he looked into the distance and began to speak, choosing his words.

“We must be freed from the tragic and painful experiences of the past. And a new generation must grow up without hatred and be protected from the horrific experiences of conflict.”

And then he became silent again.

Is this how he would have described the painful, horrible experiences and conflicts of the past? In the midst of the conflict, there must have been people who called the other side “demonic.” 

Using words “The new generation”, I suppose, meant that they were making a sincere plea to think less about the past and more about the future. No, I felt that they were trying to tell us that they couldn't tell us much by telling us to come to worship. Let's pray to God, must be silently saying that.

So I guess I shouldn't ask any more.

“Thank you.”

“Take care.”

When I stepped outside, it was like I went out of the heavy air into a puffy expanse.

Something he couldn't say much about. I bought some bread and milk at the grocery store and then went back to the house that I was staying at.

Catholic Church

Sunday, September 8th, the same day. I set my alarm for 2:00 p.m., but it had stopped before I knew it. I must have turned it off unconsciously while I was taking a nap. I rushed to the phone.

“I'm Kazushi, meeting you at 2:30 p.m., but I am going to be a little late.”

I knew where the church was, having checked the day before, but I didn't get there in a hurry until 2:35 p.m.

Sister's expression was hard as she opened the door. She was rather old, and her gray hair was visible.

“Sorry I'm late.”

“You can't see the bishop. I will speak to you on his behalf.”

“Can't I talk to the bishop?”

“No, because you're late.” She said.

It seemed obvious that being late was not the reason, so I decided to change my plans and talk to the sister.

“I heard that people in Sarajevo have been living together across ethnic and religious lines. Can you tell us about the Catholic Church's peace work?”

The sister listened first and then opened her mouth, and said, “We are all children of God. We are all equal in God's sight.”

This was going to have to change the subject a bit.

“I hear the Pope is coming to Sarajevo next year.”

Sister's gaze hovered in the air. She seemed to be not in the right state of mind. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up in a soft voice.

“The Pope will preach religious reconciliation and appeal for peace. Christians respect the Muslim people as people who believe in the one God and have Jesus as their prophet. We are all brothers before God. And the Pope will appeal for peace, not vengeance.”

Eventually, her eyes turned to me. Her expression became somewhat calmer. Maybe I could continue to ask questions. Although I didn't ask her about “Love your enemies,” I felt hopeful. I even thought about asking her about it. But in the midst of something unspeakable, she finally gave me the words. I felt that it was beyond the limit of what I could say. I shouldn't ask any more questions.

“I hope the peace continues in Sarajevo.”

She smiled gently and uttered these words to me.

“Let us pray.” She added.

I left the church and walked around the city.

Along the Miljacka River, which runs through the center of the city, I saw a cluster of apartment buildings and people going about their lives. Further on, we came to an unobstructed expanse.

When the city of Sarajevo was besieged, snipers reportedly took aim at the people who came and went.

There is also an episode of the Yugoslav conflict called “Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo”.

In the midst of the siege of Sarajevo, a couple were among those shot dead by snipers.

The couple’s name were Bosko, a Serbian and Admira, a Muslim. They were engaged to be married. They remained in Sarajevo when Sarajevo was besieged by Serb-led federal forces, but Bosko was suspected of spying. The couple attempted to escape Sarajevo for Serb areas.

On the other side of the bridge was a Serbian area. Bosko was about to cross the bridge when he was shot by a sniper. He was killed instantly. Admira runs up to Bosko. Then she too was shot by the sniper. She was still breathing when she bent down to Bosko's side. Eventually, she too died beside him.

I am aware that there is peace in Sarajevo but I was horrified by the thought that I can be shot at any moment.

But now that I am here, I have to keep walking.

So I regained my composure, crossed the bridge, and eventually returned to the busy street.

I knew that both Orthodox, Muslims and Catholics were caught up in the reality of conflict, and at times were at odds with each other. I had hoped that Sarajevo would tell me much of the coexistence of religions, but it wasn't much. There was something; something they couldn't talk about, and it was heavy.

But the hope was that they spoke of a peaceful coexistence that led to actual cooperation and a future, even if only a small amount of it.

The word “something unspeakable” reminded me of the word “Omerta.”

“Omerta,” or “code of silence.” It's a phrase from the mafia world; “If you say anything, we'll kill you.” 

During the war in Yugoslavia, there was a lot of violence and crime. Perhaps, the mafia or mafia-like organizations were involved in this. People were forced to remain silent because they had a fear that they would be killed if they speak out. 

As long as society needs unlawful “coercion,” organized violence and the mafia will be “needed” as “dark side”. But a “dark side” could remain dark and turn into a “good” organization, even if it is now an evil organization. It will do good in the midst of darkness.

I had this in mind while walking around the city, and I thought, these people seemed to be living normal lives, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.

I suppose the practical basis for coexistence is to live a normal life together.

Sarajevo embodies that. It felt like it.

After buying a hamburger at the usual burger stand and milk at the grocery store, I returned to the house that I was staying at and made a note of the day's events.

The Park

Monday, September 9; this is the morning of my fourth day in Sarajevo. I went to the tour company “Lily'' as promised, and Ida was with a dark-haired girl named Serena. They were about the same age, but slightly taller than Ida.

“Nice to meet you.” I said to her.

After a brief introduction to each other, we first visited the local newspaper office, guided by Serena and Ida. The purpose was to get more information about the subscriptions. I was very interested in the newspaper because I have learned that it had continued to publish newspapers even during the war years, unaffected by nationalism.

“It was in a confusing place, but it's a big help to you. If I decide to subscribe to the magazine in the future, I will be able to know what's going on in the country right away, even if I'm in Japan. I will look into it. Thanks.”

“It's fine. Would you like to have a cup of coffee or something?　I know a place that serves good Turkish coffee.” 

Serena, following Ida's suggestion, walked into a small restaurant a short distance away. Ida and I were sitting at a table outside when Ida spoke to me.

“Serena is Muslim and I am Serbian. But you know, we don’t have any ethnic or religious conflict. It doesn’t stop us from being close to each other.”

Ida smiled. Shortly after Serena returned, the waiter placed small three cups of Turkish coffee on a round silver tray.

Turkish coffee is coffee that is boiled from water and drunk only with the supernatant. Sarajevo was under Ottoman rule for a time, and this tradition dates back to that time.

Bascarsija is the old town of Sarajevo. Reddish-brown tile-roofed houses and stores lined the streets. The cobbled streets were bustling with people. There are many people who look like tourists. There was no evidence of war damage in this area. The bitter, sweet, dark taste of Turkish coffee matched the scenery of the city. 

While we were chatting and relaxing, Ida started to talk

“Hey, I want you to see something.” She said.

We then left the cafe. As I followed for a while, the streets became less and less crowded. Many of the buildings here and there were half-destroyed, leaving rubble and bullet holes in the ground, but a number of buildings had brand new bricks on the sides, many of which also had brand new glass in them. Reconstruction was underway.

We eventually arrived at the cemetery. Instead of tombstones, there were white slabs standing in lines and rows, all new. I had some idea why I was brought there, but I kept quiet.

“Hey, look. All the grave boards indicate the year 1994. This cemetery was built during this year.”

Ida spoke in small voice.

No further explanation was needed. Each of us was born in a different year. They probably had their own dreams and future. But the war had forced them all to end their lives at the same time. They both want to convey the inexcusable nature of war.

In the cemetery, an old woman dressed in black was standing in front of a grave board. In front of the grave board was a bouquet of flowers. She was silent as she stared at the grave. I wondered what precious person she had lost.

When I turned my eyes out of the cemetery, I saw a small park at a short distance.

The short grass grows here and there, with little white flowers visible in places. Children were playing with each other and their mothers were watching them. This is a scene that can be seen in Japan. Serena and Ida both recognized the children's voices.

The three of us watched the kids for a while, when I finally had the courage to say, “There's a saying, “Love your enemies,”.

Then Serena, who had been mostly silent, began to speak sadly.

“I don't think I can blame the people in our religions. I think there are times when you have to pull the trigger to fight. If we love our enemies, our friends will be killed. I think we tried to justify our allies in order to fight, or to keep silent. I think if our allies, if our family members were going to be killed, I would say we were right and I would pull the trigger.”

It was too realistic to argue. Ida cut in breaking the silence.

“People get along just fine. You don't have to kill each other.”

Ida's voice was faint.

Serena and I both felt the same way about that.

Soon, we left the park. Then we went back to Lily and split up and went back to the house that I was staying at. I was leaving Sarajevo the next day.

Return trip

Tuesday, September 10. On the way home, we stopped at the Lily. I said a quick hello to Ida and she gave me a casual smile.

 It was obvious that she had no special feelings for me, so I dismissed it as “just the way it is”. I said goodbye to Ida and boarded the 11:20 bus. 

The bus had several stops along the way. After passing through the lights of the highway, we finally reached Zagreb a little after 7:00 a.m. After spending the night at the youth hostel, I went to the airport the next day.

After the transit in Moscow, I arrived at Narita around 9:00 in the morning. The air was different, the air of my home country. It was already time for me to work on my paper.

Intervention

Several silver satellites floated in space, illuminated by the light of the cobalt blue Earth. In fact, there were dozens of them, covering the entire planet, but human civilization could not capture their presence. The satellites were collecting television, telephone and other human radio wave information and sending it to the home planet of some intelligent life form. 

Not only that, but that intelligent life form had a dominant influence on human civilization with radio-like powers, but it also collected more information about humans.

The purpose of that collection was now primarily for the “harvest” plan.

“This young man is really going to bring peace. It goes against our harvest plan. Shall we still eliminate him?”

Several standing, human-like haze of light repeatedly watched the movements of the Young Man on the elliptical screen at various times. This intelligent life form was watching the Young Man's movements in Yugoslavia. There was something strange about the Young Man's movements that made it hard to believe that he had planned it all by himself. The intervention of the forces trying to bring peace was quite suspected. Therefore, they could have killed him in the process, but they were trying to get the whole picture by letting him swim. 

Their calculation was that Yugoslavia could be taken care of even after the “Young Man” returned to Japan. For them, the Young Man was to be used once to pursue peace and later to be used in the Harvest plan as an evil big shot.

However, most of them were of the opinion that this unplanned Young Man’s movement and the UN paper application could not be overlooked as it was.

“No, if we just eliminate them, the Young Man will be made a saint and there will be more peace. That's bad. From his memory of the past deeds, it is still appropriate to make him evil and bury him. It would also be the most effective way to remind the forces that are trying to bring peace that their efforts have been in vain. It is our way.”

“So let's intervene in our own way.”

The big picture was still elusive. However, we decided that it was best to stop this peace initiative, which was contrary to the Harvest, at this stage.

They altered their intervention in the “Young Man”. This was with the “radio-wave like power” that they brought civilization to human beings.

Intervention (2)

Thursday, September 19. My essay was finally completed. The title is “What is a Peaceful Society? It is Joyous Coexistence.” 

I came to this conclusion by comparing existing concepts of peace. Existing concepts of peace can be broadly categorized as internal peace, external peace, negative peace, and positive peace. 

Internal peace is the peace of the human mind. External peace is peace in social relations. Negative peace is the absence of war. 

There are several arguments about positive peace. Originally, positive peace was defined by peace scholar Johann Galtung as “the integration of human society” (some texts refer to it as “the absence of violence”). Positive peace also gives more positive content to peace, as the state of “absence of war” in passive peace is incomplete, and therefore is defined differently by different people. 

Some say human rights are protected, culture and art are rich, and there is no hunger or poverty, while others say Japan should deploy overseas for the sake of peace. I personally disagree with this. Based on these four concepts of peace (internal, external, passive, and positive), and after comparing and contrasting it in several languages, I came to the conclusion that true peace is “Joyous Coexistence.” 

This definition is the ultimate peace, in a fundamental sense, because it not only covers all four categories of peace - internal, external, passive, and positive - but also transcends the old imperfect definitions of peace, which have a positive and rich connotation of “joy” in individuals and in relationships. 

The rest was to set a pen name to submit. I could use my real name. But if I was going to submit it anyway, I was going to try something different. I wrote the title of the paper in the cover letter and tried to write a pen name.

Then dizziness and drowsiness set in, and a pen name came to mind.

Servant of Hell, you might say.

The “Servant of Hell” was the name of a character from the computer game Dragon Quest.

It's kind of cool, isn't it? I couldn't think of anything else around me except that the name was cool. It was kind of exciting. I filled in the pen name box with “Servant of Hell” and sealed the envelope together with the paper and cover letter. It's an international mail, so I'll get it weighed at the post office and pay for the postage.

As I proceeded to bike towards the post office, the pen name was completely out of my thoughts. Instead, dizziness and drowsiness set in again, and I was reminded of the cemetery in Sarajevo. Then the words came to me.

“It's now or never. I have to hurry. It's now or never.”

Peace in Yugoslavia has made progress. However, the ethnic groups are much more divided. The solution to this problem is the artificial re-mixing of the peoples. If we would re-mingle the peoples, it will set a precedent, and peace will advance. It is now or never, and I am the only one who can do it. My heart was beating stronger and more excited. I was inspired to act.

I need to go to Yugoslavia again. Then work as a temporary employee in a peace organization and proceed with the remixing. I can take the exams again later.

I want to go to Yugoslavia again.

When I got to the post office, I submitted a paper to the United Nations. I left my pen name as it was.

Another Intervention

“The Youth has fallen into their hands. His mind is now under their powerful influence. The pseudonym for the paper being solicited by the United Nations under our influence has become “Servant of Hell” and appears to have been incorporated into the “Harvest” project.”

A chiseled white face with blue eyes. A number of medals shone on his khaki uniform, and the nearly two-meter tall “Commander” frowned.

The operations room of the jet-black, oval-shaped spacecraft had a number of screens that monitored various parts of the Earth.

They were different from the “harvest” side, another intelligent life form “Hot Blood” that had intervened in the peace of the planet.

They had pushed for peace between people, religions and nations around the world. The Dayton Peace Accords in the Yugoslavian conflict was one of them.

They knew that the civilization on Earth had been brought about by another intelligent life form and was under its powerful influence. Their goal was to develop human welfare by eliminating the conflict, whereas conflicts between humans on Earth had been brought about by another intelligent life form in order to develop civilization. 

They avoided confrontation with the intelligent life forms that brought civilization to the earth, and contributed to peace indirectly in the form of a “support” without directly going down to earth. However, in recent years, they have sensed that a “harvest” plan is underway.

It was easy for them to guess its content. It was easy for them to guess that the intelligent beings who had sown the seed called human beings would “reap” the fruits on a large scale. However, it was not clear as to how exactly they would reap the fruit on a large scale.

They could surmise that the inclusion of the “Youth” in the harvest plan would mean nothing more than the use of the “Youth” to cause war. The “Servant of Hell” is probably the catalyst for the war that will bring about the “great reaping”, which is hell for humans.

It was this intelligent life form of the “peace side” that originally sent the “Youth” to put out the fire in Yugoslavia, located in the Balkans, the “powder keg of Europe”. They were counting on the Youth's strong will to be sincere. 

The Youth should have succeeded in extinguishing the fire and contributed greatly to the realization of world peace through the dissemination of his paper to the United Nations, but now he will be crushed. The Harvester is trying to exploit the Youth's strong will for peace in Yugoslavia.

“Do you want to make contact with the Harvesters?”

The operations room staff looked at the face of the “Commander”. The Commander was staring straight at the cobalt blue earth.

“No, before we do that, let's revise the youth’s pseudonym and see what the “Harvesters” do. It's not very promising, but it will also indicate our willingness to intervene in this matter. Let's start with that.”

They launched another intervention.

Another intervention (2)

“What's your pen name for your paper to the UN?” My sister asked.

“The Servant of Hell.” I answered.

I felt a little embarrassed.

“I don't want you to do that. That's weird.”

“Well, it's not that bad, is it? I took it from a Dragon Quest’s character. I've already registered it.”

I showed her the reply to the application acceptance.

My sister pondered.

“You can change it, right? Do you think it's possible?”

“I wasn't particular about it.”

“So why don't you have a name for something more positive? What do you have in mind? Tell me.” She said.

I came up with the idea sooner than I thought.

“How about “The Sun Rises Again”?　I don't know its content, but I think it was in the title of a Hemingway novel. Isn't it nice to feel that hope rises again and again?”. She suggested.

My sister encouraged me to rename for anything normal other than “Servant of Hell”.

“Then write up your change request now. I'll mail it for you.”

I did as I was told. My sister rushed to send it out.

Why did I think it was so cool?　It's not that I want to be.

Did I feel that the name sounded cool? I didn't know why. It didn't feel like a big deal.

Why did my sister insist on it? It didn't matter. Still, “The Sun Rises Again” seemed like a good pen name, too.

Maybe some force had intervened. However, it　But that was something that I didn't know.

The spaceship again. Immediately after the “Youth's” sister on the ground had finished posting the request for a change of pen name, the operations room was a little buzzing.

The Harvesters are on the move. They've begun to put various people under their intense influence in Yugoslavia in key positions. When “the Youth” visited Yugoslavia again, they were going to set up a chain of bloody confrontations that would erupt. The fact that they started at the same time as the postings were made should be interpreted as a rejection of us.

The commander frowned.

I will try to persuade the Youth by moving the Pastor. It's not very promising


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