How do we know that God wants people to be happy?
Human happiness or unhappiness is evident in the results we see.
Therefore, we must act with intention.
Actions, results, and efforts demonstrate this. Is there anyone who does not wish to be happy?
Much of the misfortune is self-inflicted by people.
The seeds of misfortune include hatred, resentment, envy, arrogance, greed, infidelity, betrayal, lies, deceit, abuse, irreligion, self-righteousness, egoism, mercilessness, cruelty, brutality, immorality, injustice, shamelessness, cowardice, baseness, inferiority complex, rudeness, betrayal, conflict, dispute, discrimination, selfishness, crime, threats, theft, violence, lust, obscenity, temptation, avarice, poverty, disease, accidents, disasters, war, and famine.
Nuclear weapons, poison gas, and biochemical weapons were not created by God, but by humans.
Medicine can become poison if used incorrectly.”
Efforts and actions are reflected in the results. Evil deeds bring unhappiness not only to oneself but also to others. You may deceive others, but you cannot deceive yourself.
What do we mean by happiness? First, that the family is healthy.
Second, that there are no worries about tomorrow.
Third, that there is no material poverty or lack.
Fourth, that there is peace.
Fifth, that there is mutual trust and belief.
Sixth, that there is freedom and the ability to speak one’s mind.
Seventh, that one can work.
Mencius described the three joys of a gentleman: that the members of one’s family are safe, that one has no shame before heaven or people, and that one educates the talented people of the world. Kaibara Ekken, in his “Yojokun,” described the three joys as: enjoying following the way and accumulating good deeds, enjoying a healthy life free from illness, and enjoying longevity.
This leads to happiness.
Happiness means a state of being happy. In other words, to become happy is to create a state of happiness and maintain it. Therefore, indicators become important in systems. Systems and mechanisms monitor the state and determine economic policies. These are the indicators for that purpose.
Japanese people have never had trouble with places to live, food to eat, or clothes to wear. Water comes out whenever you turn on the tap, and gas flows when you turn the valve. You can buy oil if you have money. Electricity is always available with a flip of a switch.
However, the times when food, clothing, and housing were scarce lasted longer.
According to United Nations statistics, between 713 million and 757 million people will suffer from undernourishment in 2023. It is estimated that more than 3 million people die annually due to malnutrition.
Statistics show that eating delicious food ranks quite high among the times when people feel happy. Eating is an important element of happiness. Pleasure does not necessarily equate to happiness. Rather, pleasure can be a seed of unhappiness.
Modern economic policies are based on the premise of growth. However, real markets generally repeat cycles of expansion and contraction, creation, growth, maturity, decline, and regeneration. The maturity phase often lasts longer than the growth phase.
When the market becomes saturated, quality improvement is demanded. The question of what true wealth is arises.
Those who grew up in times of scarcity first seek to be able to eat. Taste is secondary. In such times, mass production and cheap abundance are most sought after. Once quantitatively satisfied and incomes rise, taste becomes important. Nowadays, gourmet programs are in their heyday. On the other hand, why are industrial products like convenience store bento and fast food chains popular?
Income and lifestyle, in other words, consumption and production, are the structure and logic of the economy.
The same applies to housing. If there is no place to live, even a shack will do, which then becomes a cheap apartment, then a detached house, and now high-rise condominiums. Conversely, vacant houses and homelessness are increasing.
Home appliances have also evolved from radios to black-and-white TVs, color TVs, LCD TVs, digital TVs, and SNS, creating new markets. Meanwhile, the decline of home appliance manufacturers is progressing.
The transition from quantity to quality has not been successful. On the other hand, automation, mechanization, and unmanned production are advancing, leading to job losses.
The prioritization of production efficiency has resulted in the neglect of quality improvement in consumption.
The place of living and the place of consumption are centered around the family.
The origin of the economy lies in the household. The source of happiness lies in the family.
The family is a community or group formed by blood relations.
A household is a group that shares a livelihood. A community.
Today, family relationships have become tenuous, and the collapse of the family has been lamented for a long time. However, in the past, the family was the center of life, that is, the economy. In an agrarian society, the home was the base of production, managing all household chores such as childbirth and childcare, cooking, laundry, and cleaning. They also took care of the sick and the elderly. Additionally, the local community also served as a base for organizing ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. In the past, they were self-sufficient.
As social division of labor progressed and the workplace and living space became separated, family relationships changed. From extended families to nuclear families, and then to individuals. With these changes, the nature of the family and the economy also changed.
However, it remains unchanged that one cannot discuss the economy without considering the nature of the family.
The family is the root of happiness. It is the last place to return to, a place of reliance, a place to return to in times of sadness and loneliness. Unhappiness often begins with the collapse of the family. Therefore, the family is the origin of the economy.
The core of the family is a pair of spouses. A pair of spouses forms a couple, and if they have children, they form a father and mother.
In the past, it was based on heterosexual relationships, but today it can also be composed of same-sex relationships. In other words, the family system is based on the marriage system.
Although the family system and marriage system have changed over time, it remains unchanged that the household is based on the family system and marriage system of each era.
Everyone has a mother and father. This is an undeniable fact. The family is fundamentally formed based on blood relations such as a couple, two parents, siblings, and children.
The roles of the family are, first, to take care of the daily life of the family. Second, childbirth, childcare, discipline, and taking care of children. Third, taking care of the elderly and elderly care. Fourth, production activities and labor. Fifth, taking care of the sick. Sixth, organizing ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. These tasks have been divided between the spouses. When there was a shortage of labor, children and the elderly also became important labor forces.
Among these, production activities became separated and independent from the household and livelihood, becoming the sole source of income. The place of living and consumption and the workplace became separated. As a result, the status of men, who were responsible for cash income, became relatively superior.
The role of the family is to serve as an investment in the household and long-term funds. That is, the three major funds in life are, first, education funds. Second, housing funds. Third, retirement funds. In addition to these three funds, there are expenses for marriage, childbirth, illness, unemployment, and so on.
The external economy developed to earn the necessary funds for the household.
After World War II, it was said that the most rationalized labor was household labor. Household chores became more efficient with electrification. For example, electric washing machines, electric refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and gas rice cookers. As household chores became more rationalized, women’s participation in society was also promoted. This promoted the nuclear family, and the nuclear family promoted the outsourcing of household chores.
The outsourcing of household chores allowed the logic of the external economy, the market, to penetrate the household.
Such changes have also led to the disdain of household labor and unpaid labor. Fundamentally, household labor is consumption labor.
The background to this is the idea that production is superior to consumption. Household and consumption are private. External and production are public and social.
This is influenced by the idea of whether something can be converted into money. The idea is that things that cannot be converted into monetary value have no economic value.
Women’s participation in society promotes women’s economic independence. This has improved women’s social status.
As social division of labor deepens, families have been disassembled and dismantled.
Changes in the family system have also influenced family-centered ethics. In other words, it has shifted from family-oriented ethics to individualistic ethics.
The control relationship based on family-oriented ethics is shifting to a control relationship centered on money.
In the past, the issue of the relationship between a wife and her mother-in-law was a serious family problem, but now living separately has become the norm. Inheritance issues are still serious, but the inheritance of the eldest son has now been changed. It greatly differs depending on the fundamental idea of inheritance tax.
There are also changes in the way people think about ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. In the past, marriage was an issue between families, but now it has been replaced by an individual issue.
Furthermore, changes in the family system are also one of the causes of the increase in lifelong singles and the declining birthrate.
This is because the value and necessity of the family are being lost.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare classifies “household structure” as follows: (1) Single-person household A household with only one member. (2) Nuclear family household A. Household with only a couple A household consisting only of the household head and their spouse. B. Household with a couple and unmarried children only A household consisting only of a couple and their unmarried children. C. Household with a single parent and unmarried children only A household consisting only of a father or mother and their unmarried children. (3) Three-generation household A household consisting of three or more generations centered around the household head. (4) Other households Households other than (1) to (3) above.
These classifications reflect changes in the structure of the family.