AWARENESS OF PURPOSE
Purpose awakens a person’s latent strengths and transforms them into a new, empowered individual. It is only by reviving a sense of purpose in its citizens that a nation can be built.
In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria in northeastern China and established a government of its choice there. This action strained relations between China and Japan. On July 7, 1937, an incident occurred at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing, igniting tensions and leading to military conflict between the two nations, which eventually culminated in World War II.
Since that time, there has been mutual animosity and tension between China and Japan. A few years ago, Japan and China signed an agreement in which Japan was to set up a steel mill in China, but after completing the project, the Chinese government abruptly cancelled the deal.
However, when China’s new Prime Minister, Deng Xiaoping, recently adopted an open-door policy, abandoning strict communist extremism, Japan saw an opportunity. Japan then began actively engaging with China. If one wishes to fly from Japan to China today, one must book one’s seat three months in advance, as every seat on flights from Japan to China is fully booked.
China offers enormous trade opportunities, and Japan is eager to utilise them fully. To achieve this goal, Japan has decided to let go of bitter memories of the past. As one traveller described it, Japan resolved to endure every ‘pinprick’ from China unilaterally.
This traveller noted that during his stay in Tokyo (June 1985), Radio Beijing announced that China would open a museum showcasing images of past atrocities committed by the Japanese against the Chinese, with its inauguration set for 1987, marking the 50th anniversary of the Marco Polo incident. When Japanese people were asked to comment on this news, they remained silent. When pressed further, they responded, “You know our Chinese friends have a way of twisting our tails and appealing to our conscience” (The Times of India, June 13, 1985).
Japan had a purpose: to promote its trade. This purpose cultivated resilience, patience, diplomacy, and restraint in Japan. Their purpose taught them how to let go of the past and unilaterally bury all disputes and grievances, clearing the path toward their goal.
The psychology of a purposeful group always reflects this approach, whether their aim is commercial or otherwise. When a group loses these qualities, it is a sign that they have lost their sense of purpose. Without a purpose, they lack character.
Today, our nation’s greatest weakness is a lack of character. In every field, one quickly sees that people have lost their integrity. A firm foundation cannot be built on such individuals. Wherever they are placed, they prove to be like unstable bricks in a wall, failing to offer the solidity of well-fired bricks.
The root cause of this weakness is the loss of purpose. Our people have become a purposeless group, lacking goals for either worldly advancement or spiritual growth. This is their core weakness. If we can revive a sense of purpose within them, they will once again become a vibrant, principled community, just as they were in the past. Instilling a sense of purpose in individuals is to instil everything in them. Purpose awakens a person’s latent strengths and transforms them into a new, empowered individual.
