(MW from Yamagata Prefecture/40s/Male/Gas Station Employee)
My current company is my third workplace. Now that I think about it, the reason I changed jobs both times was because of human relations.
Staying in My Shell and Storing Up My Dissatisfaction Within
I’ve always been shy and didn’t actively try to get involved with other people. At the gas station where I currently work, I couldn’t fit in with my co-workers, so I worked without interacting much with others. But in my heart, I wanted others around me. “Can someone please help me?” “Since I’ve worked so hard, don’t I deserve a word from my co-workers saying ‘Good job!’” When the reactions of those around me are different from what I expected, I feel like blaming them. Before I knew it, I had fallen into the illusion that I was doing my best alone, and I had built up my dissatisfaction within.
Reexamination was a Turning Point
Meanwhile, during a medical checkup, I was re-examined for colon cancer. Although I was full of anxiety as it was my first time, the polyp was benign. I thought to myself as I shed tears of relief; “I can’t continue like this. I have to live my life according to Kami’s teachings.” This was the turning point.
Until then, I was just a shinja who would casually visit Kyōkai with my parents. Even if I learn the teachings and think, “I have to change,” it was only for that moment. As I go about my daily life, that feeling fades and I quickly return to my usual way of life. It was that repetition. But this time it was different. It also happened to coincide with my marriage, so I did my best, saying, “I have to change no matter what.”
My Perspective on Things Changed After Talking to My Wife
Husband and wife should talk about anything. As Kami teaches us, I talked to my wife about everything, including things at work saying; “I called out to him, ‘Nice work!’ but there was no response.” Up until now, I would have been confused for a while, but my wife said to me, “Maybe he didn’t hear you.” And that change of perspective made me feel better. “I see. Maybe that’s right.” When talked about a customer with a slightly unpleasant attitude, my wife said, “Maybe that person had a bad experience and was feeling upset at that time.” Once again, “She’s right.” I was exposed to a way of feeling that I didn’t have before, and I felt that the way I saw things changed.
When I was worried about relationships, I think I only focused on my own feelings and always thought in a self-centered way. But that is how I started thinking about other people’s feelings and started to have the urge to want to interact with them.
Enjoying the Encounters with People
Lately, I’ve been relying on those around me, wanting to be helpful, and approaching work with the mindset of ‘doing the best I can.’ When I said, “Can you please help me with this?” everyone was concerned and helped me. I can also sense the other person’s situation and feel compassion for them, saying, “You seem busy.” I feel like the atmosphere in the workplace is improving as I ask people questions like, “Do you need help?” and “How are things?” Every day I approach customers and enjoy conversation. I’m so happy that more and more people are asking me to do something for them.
I am able to accept my wife’s opinions honestly and remain conscious of Kami’s teachings because of the fact that I am studying together with my wife. My wife and I always talk to each other saying, “Even as we get older, we’ll continue to support each other.”
Finding the Principle Behind the Story from Shinji
Human being’s jittai (kokoro) is honed in a family that lives by the principles, and become a being (person) who goes the correct path.
The strengths of unmei will continue to be drawn out; and a life supported by many encounters will begin.
There will be no worries produced through the encounters with people; your life (kokoro) will not be pushed and pulled by greed; you will continue to give back the strengths of your unmei to the world and leave behind good elements in your Kokoro no Michi.
Shinji that Kami reveals are a teaching on how to live life in order to be happy. Because it is an unchanging principle that relates to all people, if you live according to the teachings, your life will definitely change for the better.