Relevancy of “imadesho!” ~「今でしょ！」と社会情勢の関連性~
2/18/2014
“Imadesho!” became a hit as a phrase to give a strong push to people who are reluctant to act right away. Why has such commonplace word become so popular now? It may have something to do with the way the prep-school instructor tactfully used it with his figure up. But a bigger factor seems to be the country’s social situation in recent years. The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the subsequent nuclear reactor crisis caused tremendous fears among people. “What can we do if we’re hit by a big earthquake or tsunami?” “Can we do away with nuclear plants?” People are increasingly worried about their future.
「今でしょ！」は、物事をやり渋っている人に強烈な後押しをかける言葉として人気を博した。この普通の言葉がなぜ今受けたのか。予備校講師、林氏が指を立て「今でしょ！」と発するポーズにもその理由があるが、背景には近年の社会情勢も大きく関わっているようだ。２０１１年の東日本大震災、原発事故が全国民の不安を煽った。今後も予想される大地震や津波にどう対処すればいいのか、原発はなくせないのかなど、未来への不安も募るばかりだ。
No people can accurately predict the future but they can correctly look back at the past. They may regret, “Why didn’t I take that option at the time?” or “If I had done that, things must have been much easier and better.” In a way or another, “imadesho!” may be relevant to such regret. It also seems to mean one’s strong will to take a step forward in a resolve not to repeat the past failures. Preparing a deliberate plan will be definitely needed for risk management, but an ability to take a prompt decision may sometimes become a key in today’s information society. The prompt decision here shouldn’t be seen as a reckless action. Rather it should be taken as a bold action needed at a crucial point in executing the plan. It may be that people in the modern society are required to make planning and dynamic actions duly compatible with each other. “Don’t put it off. Do it when a chance presents itself.” That may be the message the buzzword has sent to the country’s successive governments, which have been slower to take actions in rehabilitating the disaster-stricken people or helping the economy tide over the prolonged recession.
人は未来を正確に見通すことはできないが、過去を正確に振り返ることはできる。「なぜ、あそこでこの選択肢を取らなかったのか」「こうすればもっとうまく物事が進んだはずだ」と、後悔もする。その後悔の“破片”のようなものを「今でしょ！」は含んでいるのかもしれない。また、そこには過去の失敗を踏まえて１歩前へ踏み出そうとする力強い意思もうかがえる。
リスク・マネージメントに綿密な計画を作り上げることも必要だが、情報化社会の中では即決力がカギになる場合がある。この「即決」は、考えなしの行動ではなく、計画中の節目での大胆な行動を意味する。この時代において、プランとダイナミックな行動の両立が各人に求められているのかもしれない。何事も先送りせず、チャンスがくれば今やる。震災対策、経済対策などを先送りしてきた歴代政府に「今でしょ！」が喝を入れてくれた。
Written By : Takuya Shintate