Let's Prehend
A Manual of Human Ecology and Culture Design

DARUSA INC, Let's Help Japan1

Human Ecologists Consulting Culture Design
Proposal for initial step in the amelioration of Japanese Culture

Our group proposes a single most crucial change in Japanese culture, a change essential to progress in the next millennia.

Before proceeding to less important changes in Japanese culture and society, one particular minor correction is necessary to provide the foundation for more progressive modifications. Hindered by this one basic flaw2, the people and leaders of Japan will be unable to move toward the reconstruction of wholesome culture. Without this one change, construction of luxurious high tech sustainable communities will be impossible. The good life is possible only with such new villages, secure in themselves without embarrassing dependence3 on support from the co-prosperity sphere4. Without correcting this flaw, Japan will increasingly emulate the United States, continuing its precipitous fall into helpless insecurity and parasitic dependence called modern abstract culture, MAC5.

This crucial first step must be taken early - before6 alleviating the crisis-oriented work ethic by steadily reducing work time7, generally lowering the pathologically high cortisol level of the Japanese people8, - before accepting unemployment as a necessary result of modern technology that makes ever fewer demands on human labor, - before the New World Order requires the export of productive enterprises to the Third World9 - before firms are gently induced by tax and fiscal changes to take responsibility for the residence communities of their corporate family, incidentally reducing transportation's wasteful mess10, - before the dangerous segregation of the ages is alleviated with incentives to keep oldsters at home with all their children11, - before arrangements are made with the corporate family to reintegrate the school children with the adults12, - before the orderly decentralization of megalopolis, past the slurbs, into the elegant countryside, alleviating the threatening anonymity of city life13, - before the architects are called upon once more to design sane communities to enrich the lives of the greater family14. Human ecologists agree that Japan is not crowded, it is just badly organized. Without the present superb management, Japan would have been obliged to make these basic design changes long ago. But makoto15 management is not enough, culture design is called for.

Fortunately, Japanese culture retains a few twigs, flowers, roots and seeds16 of its old culture17, the culture of courage, cooperation, competence, loyalty, selflessness, and empathy which has sustained Japan through agonies of outrageous fortune18. Given the organic nature of cultural life, these seeds will arise through the concreted surfaces to enrich and fulfill the lives of young and old, each person, each couple, each extended family, each neighborhood and clan19. Improvement can only result from attention by human ecologists to the problems of culture design20. Only then can the inhumanity of the compulsion to the abstract life, CAL, be tamed and reversed, as directed by DARUSA21. Without such attention the drive toward concrete culture will continue. The devastation and rape of the surrounding supporting cultures will continue as the Malthusian imperative manifests its revenge22.

Our firm offers transcendent guidance23 based on particular programs. Critics might argue from the lessons of economic miracles of Singapore24 and China, that capitalism flourishes best under the guidance of a communist party25, that culture design cannot be adequate without total concern26. As for the guidance of the culture and economy, we believe that MITI27 is almost as good.

Only one impenetrable barrier stands in the way. It can be simply stated and simply corrected: Most28 Japanese drive on the wrong side of the road! This terrible fault is widely understood but rarely mentioned for fear of alienating those British Imperialists who imposed it in order to alienate Japan from the civilized world.

Respecting the wholesome conservatism29 of the Japanese people, we recommend that adequate preparation precede the transition from this nefarious practice. We recommend that the change-over be done gradually30. The first stage should be those most important road vehicles, those involved in production and commerce31, the trucks which carry the petroleum products and stuffed animals32 which support the Japanese way of life.

Japanese passenger car drivers are observed to be the most skilled and enduring in the civilized world33, second only to the Saudis34. Nevertheless, given proper admonition, many car drivers will avoid the roads during the brief transition period. Far from being a homogeneous culture35, the Japanese may not be of one mind on this issue. We can expect the most ambitious, aggressive and skillful of the young women and some of the men to insist on driving during the transition36. Some difficulties are expected during the counter-flow period, but with decreased traffic, minimum collision is expected. Temporarily lowering the standards of vehicle appearance might be appropriate37. Movie crews are preparing to record the driving skill that will manifest itself as counter-flow takes place38. Those few leftists who persist in their evil ways will soon be eliminated by the righteous flow of commercial traffic39. Their families may be compensated, their sacrifice to the new orderliness will be acknowledged40.

After this crucial correction, the essential reconstruction of Japanese culture can proceed.

DARUSA Notes

1DARUSA term derived from Japanese red doll, DARUMA. Named after a real person who meditated and thought so much his arms and legs fell off, but known as someone who keeps on trying against all odds. Red adds a hint of communism, an attitude of responsibility for the total culture. `-USA' suggests arrogance mitigated with stupidity and pathos, the American way.
2The term `flaw' may be a stopper to the Japanese, who are so earnest about attending to errors, in the *Deming tradition.
3"embarrassing dependence" is a euphemism for imperialist exploitation.
4"co-prosperity sphere" was the Japanese term for the conquered and exploited areas of East Asia in the nineteen thirties, culminating in the WWII. The region is now shared, with production and profits supporting the affluence of United States, Japan and Europe.
5`MAC' is a more descriptive term for `modern culture', term from the book, "LET'S PREHEND, A Manual of Human Ecology and Culture Design".
6The `before' paragraph outlines the real program for the reconstruction of organic cultural life, OCL. Notice it is all one absurdly long sentence, teasing the Japanese for their emphasis on reading rather than speaking the English language.
7We start with a reform in progress, alleviating work ethic with its `karoshi', death from overwork.
8Cortisol is the hormone of stress. It associates with stress illnesses, also with `contractive' modes of life and culture.
9The necessary acceptance of unemployment lurks as deep dread in the minds of Japanese and others who expect affluence, even as moves are made to ease up on overtime and increase leisure. Of course, as OCL programs develop, people will have plenty of good things to do.
10This is a byproduct of culture design: improved organization not only enriches community life and culture, it also drastically reduces waste of labor and resources.
11This is a popular issue among thoughtful Japanese, but like in US, it is not thought to be the responsibility of `non-totalitarian' government. In MAC, the elders die of depression while the children suffer neglect.
12Another reform, partially adopted in the Soviet Union years ago, but approached in Japan by some progressive educators.
13Some decentralization has been advocated over the years, but was put on hold by the conservative LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) decades ago. It may reappear with the recent political shakeup. The urban environment is no longer necessary for the economy or culture, but persists by the inertia of obsolete financial and regulatory factors.
14We make this one small positive suggestion, hoping to trigger the readers imagination toward such a reconstruction of organic cultural life, with the vividness of the architectural images. Seems unlikely.
15Heroic devotion to duty, no matter how pathetically ineffective. Like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland who must run faster and faster just to hold the place.
16This is a tease by overdoing the common Japanese references to objects of nature.
17Acknowledge Japanese cultural virtues.
18A Shakespearian term referring to WWII.
19This image is from the book LET'S PREHEND....: ROCL, the reconstruction of organic cultural life.
20Subtly addresses the issue of laissez-faire vs. totalitarianism, but sounds like a company public relations pitch.
21The Japanese enjoy US arrogance, as they do their own. This tweaks arrogance, which they know they must transcend if they are to guide themselves rather than let outrageous fortune dictate.
22The Japanese must admit their warrior stance toward the Third World will most likely result in mass suffering, as capital accumulates, but also concentrates. Malthus argued centuries ago that overpopulation was controlled by starving the poor.
23We neo-Buddhists are not just frivolous.
24Li Kwan Yeu, who guided Singapore to its present prosperity, had a socialist background. He has been called a communist, a national socialist, and many other things.
25Favorite joke about China. Vigorous capitalism depends on strong guidance, as we see elsewhere in Asia.
26`total concern' is a euphemism for totalitarianism.
27MITI, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, should be flattered to be compared well with CPC, Communist Party of China.
28The term `most' itself portends the chaos to come.
29For `wholesome conservatism' read `timid recalcitrants'.
30Taking Japanese methodical strategy to its logical extreme.
31An American touch, commerce uber alles.
32A bitter reference on the superficiality of some aspects of affluence in the new Japanese culture.
33A sop to Japanese drivers' patience and suffering, as well as skill.
34Saudi Arabia has probably the highest accident rate in the world. Women are not allowed to drive at all. A macho scene.
35Don't they wish, and boast.
36Much talk lately about the frightening change in the Japanese fems.
37In Japan drivers can be ticketed for dented fenders, etc.
38Not only are they methodical, but the movie companies will make millions, watching but not interfering. Reminds one of the American propensity to set people up for a fall, SUFF.
39Now it comes out: this is an anti-leftist program.
40Japanese are very respectful.

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