Johan Gullberg in Japan
His Aussie mate Bryan
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Johan Gullberg in Japan |
His Aussie mate Bryan |
What you find here is the correspondence between me, a Swede, and the Australian Bryan Kilgallin. Now Bryan is very inquisitive, he has an obsessive need to know and to investigate. I, who also have mental problems, try to come up with reasonable answers. I have to curb the misanthropy that comes with my illness. But he and I also have a very good team approach to examining issues. Bryan's questions have frequently made me angry, but rarely do I fail to give them serious thought. My inquisitive and discerning Aussie mate has given push to the correspondence, which I appreciate. Bryan qualified in geology, business, education, and government. I qualified in Japanese and History of Ideas Here is a sample from 'Rock-fishing with Japanese fishermen in the Pacific': '...Sometimes we went out to the jagged rocks in the midst of the sea with a screwdriver and a bucket. On the rocks we searched for various forms of molluscs that we brought home and ate with lots of beer and brandy to go with it. On one of those rocks something a little scary happened. I was standing a little too close to the water-level with a tall rock in front of me that I searched for molluscs. Watanabe-san was on top of the tall rock and I saw that he was shouting something, but I could not hear what he was shouting. Then I became aware that the reason I couldn't hear him, was because of the laud roar in my head from a big wave towering over me. I was drenched in the wave and held on to the rock for my dear life as the wave subsequently started to pull. The wave pulled at my fisherman's hat also, which was fastened with a strap under my chin. Standing there I thought, that if I could not resist the pull of the wave, I would have to dive into it, lest it grabbed me and threw me against the rocks. Then the pull subsided and I was left standing shaking.'
Here comes the Table of Contents:
Hitch-hiking with the Japanese mafia (the Yakuza) I and my Swedish girlfriend hitchhiked with the Yakuza, and in what other country do you dare to hitchhike with the mafia? Sparring with Zen-monks. The psychology of prevailing Even though I had only practised martial art for 1.5 years, I prevailed over the black-belters in the Zen temple. What does military psychology say? Rock-fishing with Japanese fishermen in the Pacific Bringing in the catch, which was sometimes dangerous, or it was for me. Eating it with vast amounts of alcohol . Fighting with a big fish. Intimidation in Japan. The enigma of Japanese politics With the aid of Karel van Wolferen and my own experiences, I paint a picture of Japan, its people and politics Japanese politics, Japanese character, and philosophy With the aid of Karel van Wolferen and my own experiences, I continue to paint a picture of Japan, its people and politics Japanese women and Japanese humour Do you like humour? Do you want to see how it works in another country? What should you joke about in Japan? Language as tool and identity. Japanese, Okinawan, Austronesian languages Not the absolute front of linguistic research, but the progress of English, whether it will be for the good or the bad, concerns many of us My comparative study of phenomenalism in Japan and in the West What is the difference between a man who accepts the apparent world for his own theoretical reasons, and a Japanese, who simply accepts the apparent world? Meditation and misunderstanding in Thailand Looking in Thailand for someone to meditate with, the monks there thought I looked for a woman, political guidance, or food. But a cat liked me. The humanities; where do they start and where do they stop? A friendly discussion about the humanities, the mundane reality of the natural sciences, about academia, and what we can lean from educational policy. Induction and Karl Popper's epistemology (theory of science) Many specialists can testify to the enormous practical benefits of Popper's epistemology to their work. Do they also accept Popper's denial of induction? Voluntary social work. Giving and receiving Psychological, rather than financial rewards. What I do to break my isolation. Facilities for the mentally ill. Feeling needed through helping others. Streetfighting, surviving an attack and theorizing on strategy I was assaulted by three young men, who attacked me with flying kicks. I have practised martial art, and could mostly defend myself. Mostly. Firestorm in Canberra, as reported by my friend who was there Bryan describe the causes and results of the bushfires and firestorm. He saw flames being put out 100 metres from his home, and had to write from a café. A European writing on the USA, and trying to be conscientious I feel I have a duty to myself, to constantly unlearn the fallacy of underestimating the Americans... Ethics. A painful search, relieved by turning to certain classics Fighting social evils, avoiding prophecy, realizing that human ends collide, reflecting on 'negative' freedom, and understanding Machiavelli. Bryan Kilgallin's homepage
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