110: A Nice Country (2)

By Joe Kim

​【Nice Person】
A country that embodies safety/politeness, yet turns away people in need of help around the world.
 
A country that welcomes people in need, even when doing so means compromising on its own safety/politeness.
 
A nice person is someone who tries best to accept and help others in real need--even when it’s inconvenient, or at times, unpleasant.
 
A nice country is where more people practice this nice person kindness--even when bringing together people from various backgrounds can be quite messy at times. In other words, it's a nice society.
 
That means, even when people of different cultures/customs face the challenge to share and live together in the same space.
 
Of course, safety is extremely important, and compromising it should never be taken lightly. After all, peace is built upon a foundation of safety.

However, ensuring safety only for ourselves is no doubt “as long as we're fine” mindset.
 
And that’s not what nice people do.
 
In Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Palestine, South Sudan, Myanmar, and more. Over 114 million people are displaced from their homes due to conflict/violence today, making it the worst in human history. Roughly 40% are children under the age of 18. One-third of displaced families can’t send their children to school, and only 10% can afford tuitions.
 
Meanwhile, many of us enjoy the benefits of comfort simply because we’re born in a safe/prosperous country; to parents who are citizens there. In contrast, many others are shut out from sharing in on those same benefits simply because they just happen to be born in an impoverished nation or a war zone; to parents who are citizens there.
 
Naturally, given that we’re all equal as humans, it’s unjust to be forced upon inborn inequities on the basis of place of birth or parental background.
 
With this in mind, when we praise Japan today as a nice country, we’re, in effect, praising as nice people those who continue this “as long as we’re fine” mindset while refusing/excluding people in serious need of help around the world.
 
A truly nice country is one where people regularly engage in discussions about welcoming immigrants/refugees, nurture compassion through a global lens, deepen their commitment to helping those in need, and sincerely work towards a more mature society.
 
At least in a little more than half of America, we find hope in the liberal spheres of society where many people strive to help immigrants/refugees seeking a better life/future; where people are willing to take on the challenge of making the world a better place for everyone. By contrast, the conservative spheres of society, largely represented by the Trump MAGA supporters who make up a little less than half of America, insist on the polar opposite while desperately trying to return us to “as long as we’re fine” mindset.

In Japan, the government still refuses to adopt an official immigration policy and instead seeks to avoid tension by closing its borders tight. The liberal people work hard to move this stubbornly rigid society forward, but are often marginalized and, regrettably, remain very few in number. The vast majority of people don’t seem to regard “as long as we’re fine” mindset as a serious problem. Perhaps many are not even aware of it, or perhaps they are aware but continue to look away, pretending as if people in need of help around the world don’t exist.
 
When we accept people of different cultures/customs, welcome diversity with an open heart, and share/live together in the same space with people from various backgrounds. When we take those actions, we may sometimes feel that our hometown has changed so much, maybe even a little too much. Perhaps, we may feel sadness, nostalgia, or a quiet sense of longing for the “good old days.”  

Nevertheless, that doesn’t make it right to continue on with “as long as we’re fine” mindset that places only our own interests first.
 
To be sure, inclusivity is not an easy task even for those with the biggest hearts. Bringing together people from various backgrounds to share/live side-by-side in a society can be quite messy at times.
 
Even so, let us have the courage to nurture compassion and welcome people in real need of help around the world.

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