The Craft of Positive Thinking and Having the Courage to Say, This is alright!”

It was in the hit manga Tensai Bakabon that the late Fujio Akatsuka coined the famous phrase, "This is alright". Growing up in Manchuria, Akatsuka was one day caught by the Chinese words "méi fǎzi" or "没法子," meaning "it can't be helped.” Behind this was his own war experience, in which Akatsuka fled to Manchuria but was constantly tormented by hunger and cold. Then, after the war, his father was sent to a Soviet Union internment camp, and after he returned to Japan, his younger sister died of malnutrition. Despite these tragic experiences, Akatsuka has lived through them, humbly accepting the reality of the situation. As a result, the words "This is alright!” is a phrase that affirms reality and affirms that no matter what, we can live with our circumstances. It’s a sign of affirmation of reality and that one can have a positive attitude toward life, no matter the circumstances.

Akatsuka then immersed himself in the world of manga for some time. The result was a new generation of manga that contained a lot of heart in jokes and laughter. Akatsuka then took a look back at his own life and turned it into a gag and comedy, a feat he has accomplished ever since. The work that resulted was Tensai Bakabon. Behind the huge success of his Akatsuka’s manga was his honesty and nakedness. He threw away his pride and everything else and immersed himself in his own world. Akatsuka's positive attitude was evident in the way he tackled his work with a clear-cut "This is alright! Thus, Fujio Akatsuka aimed to make every life enjoyable and through Tensai Bakabon.

Life is accompanied by various hardships and predicaments. Each time people hit a wall, many become discouraged, complain and become frustrated. Sometimes people escape reality and run into all sorts of problems.Negative words that people blurt out such as"This is impossible!" because of the difficulties they experience before them doesn’t even exist in Akatsuka’s manga world, and no matter how painful the experience or how terrible the environment, he always says, "This is alright!” instead of “This is impossible!” Akatsuka not only accepts the situation with open arms, but he also thinks positively about it. This is the ultimate lesson in positive thinking.

Keeping your head held high, or positive thinking, is a creed that I try to live by on a daily basis. In my case, I have always tried to think "This is alright!” and I have always tried to think positively about things, and this is a principle that I always try to live by. “I’ll get there somehow!” “I can do it!” I often connect this with wishful thinking. Indeed, in a situation where there is nothing one can do, the thought is, "This is the best that I can do!” is the ultimate form of positive thinking. However, when there is still a possibility of things going your way, if there’s something that can be done or needs to be done, we often think, "I'm sure that there’s something that I can do!” “I can do it!” This is an optimistic way of thinking. One example of this is the dreary journey of the pilgrim.

Among the 88 pilgrimage routes in Shikoku, the two longest, comparable to an ultra-marathon, are the 78-km route from Hiyosa to Murotomisaki in Tokushima Prefecture and the 82-km route from Shimanto to Ashizurimisaki. Both of these distances are twice the distance of a full marathon, and are so long that ordinary people cannot even imagine how tough they would have to be to complete them. Even for myself, who has been retired from marathon training for 15 years now, the distance is so long that it’s almost frightening. So, how could I run 80 kilometers during the daytime?

The most important thing is "strong feelings. No matter how high the hurdle may be, positive thinking is the idea that "as long as you have a strong heart, you can make it happen. In the case of the longer sections of the 88 pilgrimage sites, you must reaffirm the significance of the pilgrimage and say to yourself, "I will make it! and keep telling yourself, "I will get there! With this belief alone, even long-distance pilgrims who once thought they could not make the long-distance pilgrimage will someday reach their goal. It is important to keep moving with a strong desire, and in this we can glimpse the efficacy of positive thinking.

I took a moment to look back at my thought processes on training. To begin with, 80 kilometers is probably beyond my own limits, and I can't imagine running two full marathons in one day. How would I finish the race? The answer was simple: imagine the distance you could run, and build up a series of successes over that short distance. Specifically, instead of accepting the scary number of 80 kilometers as it is, I divided it into shorter distances that I could confidently run on a regular basis.

In my case, since I regularly run around 5 km in the Mejiro area, I have the impression in my mind that running just 5 km is manageable.For myself, I am confident that I can run from 5 to 10 kilometers. I just have to keep repeating the same cycle. Of course, the first five kilometers are easy, but the last few kilometers are definitely harder. You have to be prepared for that. There is no way you can say, "This is alright!” And there is no way you can just think, "I think I can handle this!” It takes a lot of determination.

That is why positive thinking is necessary. By repeating the pattern of "I can win this race," you must believe that you can complete the 80-kilometer race. We must have a vision in our mind of completing the 80 km, no matter what it takes. However, 80 km is an unusually long distance. Therefore, if you focus only on that, you will not only get tired of it, but you may give up from the very beginning. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep a positive mindset while modifying your thinking in some areas. For example, even if you feel hardship along the way, you can always say, "There is a goal! If you keep going, you will get there someday. Your body will follow you. This is how I have run the pilgrimage so far.

There is always a way to salvation, no matter the circumstances. With a strong will to make one lap, one can continue to visit the 88 sacred places. As proof of this, I have not only climbed many difficult sacred peaks, but I have also cleared each hurdle by daring to persevere on the long road before the next temple, saying to myself, "Just 5 km to go," or "Just 4 km to go.” I thought of the shorter distances connecting to one long distance and , before I knew it, I could see the finish line in sight.

Positive thinking begins with the conviction that when there is nothing left for you to accomplish, "This is alright!” When there is even the slightest chance of accomplishment, it begins with telling yourself "I can do it," and "I will accomplish this” until you take it to heart. With these thoughts in mind, I am once again on the pilgrimage to Shimanto in Kochi Prefecture today.