Not another case?!!

Just read the news.. there was a knifing incident at Akihabara this afternoon.. so far six has been confirmed dead and another 11 classified as injured..
Click here for the news..

The suspect is a 25 year-old male who was overheard saying that he was "sick and tired of life". Isn't it sad to have someone who is supposed to be at the prime of his life saying such things?? What might have been tormenting him to such a state that he chose to go on such a rampage?? In a society where even the most outrageous conforms to the social norms, at least most of the time, it is unthinkable that such a crime have been committed.. Yet, due to that same expectation of conformity, it is not difficult to understand the amount of stress these younger generations of Japanese is suffering under..

With its aging population and stagnating economy, the younger generations have a lot expectation to live up to.. They have to maintain Japan's innovative and competitive edge while at the same time embrace globalization. They are exposed to Western thoughts and values which made them want to exert their individualism but at the same time are tied down by their society's and cultural norms of conformity.. They are torn. This is a proud nation, yet from my observation, Japanese has this sense of unexplained inferiority complex while dealing with Caucasians or Western people. They will respect you if you speak English, no matter how grammatically incorrect it may be. While on the other hand, Japanese tends to look down on other Asians, especially those from East Asia..

Due to its homogeneousness, they are a nation that relies on culture and traditions to keep the society harmonious. People are expected to obey and do what is expected of them, even if that is not what they want. Guys are expected to go to a prestigious university, then get a job and devote their whole life to the company. Job hopping was unheard of until recently. and job for life was the norm. In between, they are supposed to get married to a nice lady, have kid(s) and work even harder to provide for the family. It was normal for children to only see their fathers during weekends, as they had to work overtime almost every night. That was how the economy miracle of Japan was created in the 1970s and 1980s. While the women were expected to get married and quit their job, and devote their attention to their family. They are supposed to take up the role of the mother and the father most of the time, nurturing and disciplining the children with their husbands barely registering their presence..

Thus these are the kinds of environment the younger generations of today grew up in. And this is what they did not want to emulate for their own life. Yet, the pressure from the society is unrelenting. Everyone are conditioned to think of the greater good of their companies/organizations/families and never of their own well-being.. It is no wonder that the suicide rate of Japan is hovering around 30,000 per year when people are unable to reconcile these two opposing forces..

Hopefully, the Japanese society as a whole would evolve and adapt to this new world and globalization. Certain traditions should be kept while some should be customized/changed with the times.. With its already shrinking youth population, the last thing Japan wants would be a ticking time bomb as its younger generation..