Gaman (term) explained

Gaman
En:Perseverance
Ja:我慢

is a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity".[1] [2] The term is generally translated as "perseverance", "patience", or "tolerance".[3] A related term,, a compound with tsuyoi (strong), means "suffering the unbearable" or having a high capacity for a kind of stoic endurance.

Gaman is variously described as a "virtue",[4] an "ethos",[5] a "trait",[6] etc. It means to do one's best in distressed times and to maintain self-control and discipline.[6] [7]

Gaman is a teaching of Zen Buddhism.

Analysis

Gaman has been attributed to the Japanese-Americans and others held in the American internment camps during World War II[8] [9] and to those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan.[10] In the internment camps, gaman was misperceived by the non-Japanese as introverted behavior or as a lack of assertiveness or initiative, rather than as a demonstration of strength in the face of difficulty or suffering. Gaman and the related term yase-gaman are, in Japanese society, closely related to complying with conformity and silent heroism, which seems to be hidden pride for compensation for sacrifice and being satisfied to pay reciprocal service in advance or to being seen themselves as victims by folks. Gaman toward authority, 'unquestioning obedience' or 'blind obedience' is supposed to be unfit to a healthy democracy.

The mentality of gaman seems to be derived from the strong conviction of Japanese way of fatalism,[11] which was reinforced by Buddhism mujo, impermanence,[12] [13] nihilism,[14] [15] tradition of self destruction, the collective nature of its society,[16] and the forced attitudes of resignation and submission under the Edo feudal period.[17] Those world-views were depicted in The Tale of the Heike, the works of Yoshida Kenkou, Kamo no Chomei. The sequence of events of Japanese fatalism seems to be explained as dormant, ceaseless accumulation of self-righteousness,[18] which is justified by accusing other's faults[19] [20] rarely explicitly, mainly in their thought, and sudden manifestation of aggression if suppression (gaman) fails.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the resilience, civility, lack of looting and ability of the Japanese to help one another was widely attributed to the gaman spirit.[7] The 50 to 70 heroes who remained at the damaged and radiation-emitting Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant despite the severe danger demonstrated what was regarded as gaman as well.[21]

Gaman is also used in psychoanalytic studies and to describe the attitudes of the Japanese. It is often taught to youth and is largely used by older Japanese generations. Showing gaman is seen as a sign of maturity and strength. Keeping private affairs, problems and complaints silent demonstrates strength and politeness as others have seemingly larger problems as well. If a person with gaman received help from someone else, they would be compliant, not ask for any additional help, and voice no concerns.

See also

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Art of Gaman. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 8 July 2020.
  2. Web site: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946. apanews.si.edu. 8 July 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110303192228/http://apanews.si.edu/2009/11/09/the-art-of-gaman-arts-and-crafts-from-the-japanese-american-internment-camps-1942-1946/ . 3 March 2011.
  3. Web site: WWWJDIC. https://web.archive.org/web/20130411103455/http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1E. dead. 11 April 2013. users.monash.edu. 8 July 2020.
  4. Web site: Japanese resilience shines in light of tragedy. CTV Ottawa. 19 March 2011. Lang. Kieron. 8 July 2020. ... "it can't be helped", as well as the virtue "gaman" which defies easy translation, ....
  5. Web site: Atomic nightmares. Business Standard (India). 20 January 2013. Swann. Christopher. 8 July 2020. Experience with crises has shaped the Japanese ethos of "gaman" — "enduring the unendurable". Even after the March 11 disaster ....
  6. Web site: A nuclear meltdown in Japan? Not if these brave workers can help it. Christian Science Monitor. 15 March 2011. Jones. Clayton. 8 July 2020. One noble trait that the Japanese admire is gaman. It is their word for the ability to persevere, endure, and overcome, with patience ... Japan may remember them for their gaman despite personal exposure to dangerous levels of radiation.
  7. Web site: Japanese remain calm while dealing with quake aftermath. www.news1130.com. 16 March 2011. Lloyd. Mike. 8 July 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110324003321/http://www.news1130.com/news/world/article/198193--japanese-remain-calm-while-dealing-with-quake-aftermath. 24 March 2011.
  8. Web site: The Art of Gaman: Enduring the Seemingly Unbearable with Patience and Dignity. Japanese National American Museum. March 2010. 18 March 2011.
  9. Web site: Art by Japanese-American Detainees During World War Two Shows Their Struggle and Humanity. VOA News. 18 May 2010. 18 March 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110918044821/http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Objects-Made-by-Japanese-American-Detainees-During-World-War-Two-Show-Their-Struggle-and-Humanity-94205739.html. 18 September 2011.
  10. Web site: Why the world is wrong to count Japan out. www.macleans.ca. 25 March 2011. Köhler. Nicholas. Macdonald. Nancy. Kirby. Jason. 8 July 2020.
  11. Ian Kershaw, Fateful Choices, 2007, page334, 347
  12. [Nakamura Hajime]
  13. Hiroshi Minami, Psychology of the Japanese People,1953/1971, translated by A.R.Ikoma, p39,44
  14. [Keiji Nishitani]
  15. Hiroshi Minami, Psychology of the Japanese People,1953/1971, translated by A.R.Ikoma, p39,43,44
  16. Saul Kassin et., Social Psychology,2017, page71,583
  17. [Nakamura Hajime]
  18. Ruth Benedict, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword,1946, p315
  19. Ruth Benedict, The chrysanthemum and the sword,1946, page190
  20. G.B.Sansom, Japan: A short cultural history, Stanford University Press,1978, page53
  21. Web site: Japanese show power of patience, stoic discipline amid triple crises. Mateo. Ibarra C.. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 27 March 2011. 8 July 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120911002257/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110327-327849/Japanese-show-power-of-patience-stoic-discipline-amid-triple-crises. 11 September 2012. Fueled by gaman ..., the workers did not abandon their posts even if it seemed suicidal to go on. They showed another Japanese trait: putting first their country, community and group over their individual concerns..

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