Kokoro

 

I like books that breathe life into familiar streets.

"Kokoro" by Natsume Sōseki begins with a brief description of the streets of Kamakura, Japan, as seen through the eyes of a young student in the early 1900s. Almost a century after the book was written I too made my way  from famous Buddha statue at Kōtoku-In, down from Hase to the road that leads to the main beach where the main protagonist of Kokoro records his first meeting with an older man who becomes his "Sensei", his mentor and guide.

The Sensei is a compulsive loner - a reticent man who prefers to keep to himself. Yet an equation develops between the old man and his persistent, and oftentimes insolent student, which bring up interesting discussion on the nature of life and relationships. I was struck in particular by this observation - 

"You seem to be under the impression that there is special breed of bad humans. There is no such thing as a stereotype bad man in this world. Under normal conditions, everybody is more or less good, or, at least, ordinary. But tempt them, and they may suddenly change. That is what is so frightening about men. One must always be on one's guard."