#28: Harmony that Respects Individuality

By Joe Kim

The spirit of harmony is widely regarded as one of the most cherished values in Japanese culture.
 
Harmony, or Wa in Japanese, also means peace. Its fundamental principle is simple: for everyone to get along. Wa among people, Wa withinfamily, and Wa throughout society. Wa represents respectful care for one another, and cooperative unity among us all. It’s a truly beautiful spirit, filled with compassion and a shared pursuit of happiness for all.
 
The most essential aspect of Wa is its commitment  to respecting and caring for each and every one of us – valuing every person's individuality while striving together for everyone's happiness. Make no mistake – there’s no harmony in the maintenance of a group called Wa while mistreating or neglecting a few. True Wa leaves no one behind.
 
When a group maintains the appearance of harmony while mistreating or neglecting a few, that's a negative Wa. And this negative Wa is no virtue. In fact, accepting negative Wa is no different from turning away from abuse unfolding before our eyes – that is, doing nothing while others suffer. Such hurtful conformity can't bring happiness to each and every one of us, because it fails to embody respectful care or genuine cooperative unity.
 
We must all be vigilant not to resign ourselves to doing nothing in the name of Wa.
 
July 4, 1776. On this day the US Declaration of Independence was adopted, the Founding Fathers clearly stated their truly beautiful conviction.
 
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. 
 
Nevertheless, slavery – the most egregious violation of equality and unalienable rights – wasn’t abolished for another 100 years. What’s more, it took additional 100 years after abolition before Martin Luther King, Jr led the momentous advancement of African Americans' rights through nonviolent resistance during the 1960s. At a time when African Americans were still deprived of their right to vote, King demanded that the government and the American people fulfill the promises of the Declaration of Independence.
 
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice . . .  The ultimate tragedy of Birmingham was not the brutality of the bad people, but the silence of the good people.
 
A hurtful conformity built on negative Wa merely conceals the tension that already exists. The tension brewed over hundreds of years of gross mistreatment and ill will, is suppressed only to preserve the handsome facade of "order." To maintain such hurtful conformity, people turn away from injustices unfolding before them. This, indeed, is a negative Wa.
 
By contrast, true harmony doesn’t overlook injustices. It respectfully cares for one another and unites people in striving for the happiness of each and every one of us. It embodies the spirit of “for everyone to get along.” In true Wa, no one is left behind. It’s forged through communication, mutual trust, and a sincere commitment to valuing each person's individuality.
 
Many White Americans who joined King in the nonviolent civil rights movement did just that. Although they didn’t experience racial discrimination firsthand, they chose to understand the pain and humiliation endured by African Americans. Even though they weren’t the direct targets of injustice, they refused to accept hurtful conformity and instead strove for Wa.
 
Today, minorities throughout the world still endure the agony of being overwhelmed by the sheer force of numbers.

• The brutal persecution of the Rohingya people by the government of Myanmar.
• The more-fortunate people born into wealthy nations refusing to take in the less-fortunate refugees; those who’ve lost everything while fleeing wars in Syria, Sudan, and Yemen.
• The dark abyss of stubborn discrimination against African Americans in the US and foreign residents in Japan.
• The shameful ignorance of US travel ban based on the place of birth or nationality.
• The overwhelming majority of Japanese people continuing to force US military bases upon Okinawa.

 
​These painful realities do not represent Wa.
 
They don’t embody respectful care for each and every one of us. They don’t strive for the happiness of each and every one of us. They leave some people behind, subjected to mistreatment or neglect. They fail to honestly pursue, with open hearts and minds, the cooperative relationships that come from valuing every person’s individuality.
 
Nor is this concern limited to minorities. Women, despite representing half of humanity, have faced suppression for thousands of years. Even in this day and age of gender equality, many women are still exploited and preyed upon. 
 
Wa means welcoming people of all backgrounds and embracing our differences. It means working together for a better tomorrow of each and every one of us.

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