Things I Learned from THREE MILE AN HOUR GOD

Kosuke Koyama, an internationally renowned theologian, is the author of the world-famous book entitled Three Mile an Hour God. Koyama moved to the States right after World War II, to pursue his Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary. After he completed his Ph.D, he went on to teach in Thailand, Singapore, and then in New Zealand. He eventually returned to the States and taught for many years at Union Theological Seminary (UTS) in New York. I remember when I went all the way to UTS in the 1980’s after I learned about him.

The book Three Mile an Hour God was so shocking that when I first read it in 1983, it made me take a deeper look into my own existence. If I were to choose someone from world history who made the greatest changes or who had the greatest impact on this planet, Jesus Christ would definitely be at the top of the list. As recorded in numerous accounts, historical books, and certain events throughout history, the impact of Jesus Christ’s greatness was beyond human understanding. We can only imagine how people of the time were mesmerized by the miracles Jesus Christ performed: He healed many sick people, cast out demons from people who were possessed, healed a blind man, and even raised a dead man. Believe it or not, if I had a time machine, I would like to travel back in time like in the movie Back to the Future to when Jesus Christ was still alive. There is no doubt that the history of mankind dramatically changed after the advent of Jesus Christ.

Now, let’s go back to the main topic. Koyama focuses on the fact that although Jesus Christ was the most influential figure in history, he only walked at a speed of 5km/h (3mph). In the era of Jesus Christ, there were no cars or bicycles, so Jesus simply walked from one village to another, meeting people and giving them a helping hand. Moreover, it is said that Jesus Christ took the time to climb up the quiet mountains so that he could avoid the crowds and spend time alone in holy silence. His modest actions may not seem significant to some but they actually changed history forever. Just by walking, history can move.

What do I think about myself today? In this digital age full of information, a day begins with collecting the latest updates as soon as I wake up in the morning. I check all of my emails, read through all of my LINE and Messenger texts, and get today’s news from the newspaper while listening to the economic news on NEWS Morning Satellite on TV at the same time. Then I check my calendar to see that I have a lot of things to do, and I have no time to rest. It’s obvious that I have to work at full speed to get everything done by the end of the day. Day after day, I fire myself up and manage to get the job done while still telling myself, “I gotta do more!” However recently, perhaps it’s because I’m getting older, I can hear Mito Komon inside my head telling me, “Suke-san, Kaku-san, that’s enough for today!” around 9:00 p.m.

What is the big difference between a man like me and Jesus Christ? On the one hand, this was a man who walked at the speed of 5km/h carrying nothing in his hands, spoke to people, at times performed miracles, and changed history. On the other hand, when I look back at my past, I realize that I have been working my fingers to the bone without a break every single day. Nevertheless, I notice that I’m just getting older instead of changing history, which feels like a knife right in the chest. Without reflecting on our different outlooks and ways of life, the drastic upheavals in our histories and the purpose of life, I can affirm that my growth is no longer possible.

Nonetheless, I have my own daily habits that I can’t quit. Therefore, I somehow maintain my body and mind by reading the Bible and take a moment to pray every morning. I believe that this is the necessary minimum in order to maintain calmness, observe how I’m going about life, and discern which path I should take. It doesn’t matter if I try to do this through Buddhist Zen meditation or just by closing my eyes for a moment of quiet contemplation. The important thing is to reflect on oneself, to know the importance and the purpose of life, and to be grateful to be alive. After all, I think that a good way for people to live is to be thankful every day for eating good food and getting a good night’s sleep. I work hard only to sacrifice the things that are important to our good health. We ultimately will not change history in the end. Now I think that what is important to me and for people living in this modern age is that we need to take more time to look around us and share the blessings of life with others while walking at a pace of 5km/h. My sleep talking gibberish just keeps going on and on...