Love for One Means Loving Others（愛人とは他人を愛する也）

Background

In the draft of his speech “On Love for One” (date unknown), Neesima warns against the exclusionist patriotism that was spreading at the time and provides guidelines for overcoming such “exclusionary patriotism.” His answer was “love for one.” At a time when love for one’s “country” was considered supreme, Neesima appealed for love for “one person.” He said, “The idea of love for each person seems much narrower than love for one’s country, but if you love not only one country but also the people of the world as if they were one person, you will never be narrow-minded.” Here, Neesima’s view of humanity, supported by the gaze he pours on “one person,” is in perfect harmony with his worldview, which considers the international community.

Contemporary Significance

Internationalism as a Practice of Love for Neighbors

The first person to use the term “internationalism” in Doshisha history was Danjo Ebina (1856–1937, the eighth president of Doshisha), who emphasized it as one of Neesima’s educational principles. However, there are now countless educational institutions in Japan and abroad that espouse internationalism, and internationalism has become a prerequisite for modern education. Moreover, this internationalism often incorporates a win-win orientation, such as becoming a global human resource that can be accepted by the international community. If Doshisha is to develop Neesima’s philosophy of “love for one” in the modern age, it should not aim for internationalism to become a success, but rather for “internationalism to serve,” in which the power acquired through study is applied to love “people of the world.” This would ultimately be the best antidote to the exclusionary nationalism that is on the rise around the world today.

Self-esteem and Love of Neighbor

The modern translation of the biblical phrase quoted by Neesima is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31, etc.). Love of neighbor is based on the premise that one should love one’s neighbor as oneself. It has often been pointed out that, compared to other countries, Japanese youth have extremely low self-esteem. There are many parts of themselves that they would like to take away and discard, and this reflects the reality that they are unable to accept themselves. This may be due in part to the influence of being forced to evaluate oneself in comparison and competition with others. However, one cannot accept and love others without having the courage to accept oneself. Those who cannot love themselves easily develop hatred toward others and “exclusionary patriotism.” The development of a stable sense of “acceptance” and “love,” and the development of this sense into love for one’s neighbors around the world, is still the most important educational task of our time.

(Katsuhiro Kohara)