ACCEPTING DEFEAT

Embracing the present lays the foundation for the future. Those who refuse to acknowledge their current reality risk missing the greater opportunities that await them.

Japan faced defeat against the United States in World War II. In April 1945, American forces landed in Japan, and General Douglas MacArthur was appointed as the Supreme Commander, staying until 1951. Under General MacArthur’s direction, a new Japanese Constitution was drafted and passed by the Japanese assembly on November 3, 1946. According to this Constitution, the Emperor of Japan’s status was reduced to that of a symbolic head of state. Article 9 of the Constitution declared that the Japanese people would never again maintain land, sea, or air forces, nor would they prepare for war in any capacity:

“Land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 10, p. 87).”

On the surface, this Constitution seemed like a declaration of Japan’s permanent national demise. However, Japan’s leaders wisely accepted it in its entirety, recognising that while it closed the door to military and political initiatives, it left the door wide open for progress in science and industry. The Japanese people withdrew from the fields of military and political conflict, choosing instead to focus on remaining opportunities in knowledge and industry. As a result, within just 40 years, historians were compelled to write the following about Japan:

“Defeated in World War II (1945), Japan emerged from the ruins of war as one of the major economic powers in the world.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 5, p. 519)

Accepting the present opens the way to the future. Those who refuse to accept their present circumstances are deprived of the greater opportunities that the future holds.