I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told these words by friends, family, professors, and mentors. I attribute a large part of my loneliness to being singled out for my passion for writing. Like many of his protagonists, I have felt an aching loneliness when I question if there is a larger framework in which I belong.
I am no stranger to the anxiety Soseki’s characters felt as they tried to forge their path in the modern world. Soseki expressed through his characters how Western values, such as self-awareness and having unlimited opportunities, often lead to isolation and sadness. Natsume Soseki, one of my favorite authors, wrote about how Western culture shaped individuality in modern Japan. Finding Freedom in the East – Alexa Pellegrini Alexa Pellegrini reflects on how studying Eastern culture helped her anxiety, while Linh Dang discusses how Westernization shaped his identity. Yet the East’s core values, from embracing collectivism to downsizing one’s ego, are strikingly different from Western beliefs. Today, the once stark divide between East and West no longer exists – both hemispheres borrow each other’s foods, traditions, and philosophies.
