Horrible but Very Happy

My junior high school days were indeed horrible.

I was in a fascist school that regularly checked the colours of girls' panties and have boys head shaved. Teachers heavily discouraged students to think independently and critically because thinking should be done by adults.

My entire body was covered with rash and I always looked as if I'd been raided by a swarm of bees.

My entire face was covered with pimples. Indeed, I didn't want to be photographed because I would later see a monster.

I was oppressed and ugly. So those days were indeed horrible...

But I was very happy.

Because I was unhappy I had a hope.

And this hope made me act like a revolutionary.

So some adults called me Red or a Commie. But it proved my intelligence! In the early 1980s, while Japanese high school dropouts joined Neo-fascist organisations or became gangsters, rebellious young intellectuals were still attracted by Socialism.

So I became a dissident! Very cool, huh? It gave me a big sense of mission. I became a fighter of people's liberation!

That made me very bold and courageous. So girls liked me even though I was awfully ugly.

Life is indeed a curious thing. Frankly speaking, I am very much surprised by my own ability to feel very happy under adversity. Maybe I still have it...