JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Brad and I were recently discussing the belief of judging an argument by its merits. As far as I know, this is a basic and well-known belief. In order to gain footing, some people use the belief as a means to manipulate social situations. It is not uncommon for these people to disguise negative behavior under the category of (among other things) fun, thereby presenting a positive or benign face. In doing so, a person who sees through the disguise is manipulated into either letting the negative behavior stand or confronting it and taking the risk of being seen as the aggressor in the situation. In this way, the perpetrators achieve the goal of presenting a negative public image of the target as either weak or aggressive, depending on the chosen reaction to the behavior. This is one of the reasons I’m not really into images or politics. I would rather discuss the issues not waste time with tactics that accomplish very little other than give the persons involved a game to play.

CNN was showing a report on centenarians today. There were a handful of 90+ persons who were highlighted on the show. (Some from Okinawa in fact.) I say good for the ones they did highlight. Those persons were active and vibrant. But I was interrupted during the show and didn’t have the opportunity to see how many of the centenarians whose lives are not in such a place. Also, I didn’t have the chance to hear how many were from rural or semi-rural areas as opposed to urban and sub-urban areas. I would think that living in an area that poses less stress in daily life would play a factor in the quality and duration of a life span.

Thursday November 17, 2005 [PC(12/365) W(6/365)]

November 2005 Total:
C-cloudy (5/365) PC-partly cloudy (12/365)
SR-scattered rain showers (4/365)
W-windy (6/365) LW-light winds (6/365)
H-humid (2/365) SH-slightly humid (8/365)

This Year�s (June 3, 2005 – June 2, 2006) Total:
S- sunny (28/365) C-cloudy (44/365) PC-partly cloudy (96/365)
D-drizzle (9/365) R-rainy (5/365) SR-scattered rain showers (20/365)
W-windy (53/365) LW-light winds (84/365) VW-very windy (5/365)
H-humid (68/365) SH-slightly humid (82/365)

Having lived without a computer until six years ago I understand some of the challenges facing people who don’t have one yet, especially children. That’s why I feel this is one of the more important positive steps being taken by society.

Wednesday November 16, 2005 [PC(11/365) W(5/365)]

November 2005 Total:
C-cloudy (5/365) PC-partly cloudy (11/365)
SR-scattered rain showers (4/365)
W-windy (5/365) LW-light winds (6/365)
H-humid (2/365) SH-slightly humid (8/365)

This Year�s (June 3, 2005 – June 2, 2006) Total:
S- sunny (28/365) C-cloudy (44/365) PC-partly cloudy (95/365)
D-drizzle (9/365) R-rainy (5/365) SR-scattered rain showers (20/365)
W-windy (52/365) LW-light winds (84/365) VW-very windy (5/365)
H-humid (68/365) SH-slightly humid (82/365)

Weekly Hogen (Okinawan Dialect) :

English – small

Japanese – chiisai (????)?

Hogen – gumaa (???)

I came to Okinawa in 1973 and have lived here for most of the past thirty-two years. And although I agree with the need to have consideration for differing opinions, I also believe there must be an understanding of what is just too ridiculous on either side. I found this article in the opinion section and can only hope it is meant to be humorous, because it is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read!

P.S. I’m a redhead and yes we do get it pretty bad while growing up. But let’s get real, the type of people that tease redheads about it would just try to find something else to ridicule if you weren’t.

I’ve added a new category on some stories in the news that demonstrate the ingenuity of positive creativity. This first story shows some of the promising possibilities of the younger generation.

Bar owners may soon have to deal with a new type of competition, if that’s what you’re into, for the over 70 neighborhood pub business.