Shaberi-ba (Talking Place)@ @(2003.1.24)@
Have you ever watched "shaberi-ba"? It is a TV program
on NHK educational channel, broadcasted on Friday night. On that program,
ten teenagers talk (as a matter of fact gargueh) over the day's theme.
They have gNo MC, no scenario, and no conclusionh. They just TALK till
the end.
I will NEVER forget the STRONG IMPRESSION I got when I first saw
this program.
@That was last summer. I was traveling around Kansai district by myself.
At that night, I was staying at a business hotel in Osaka. I was tired
and feeling a little blue with no one to talk to in a single room. So I
turned on TV just to kill the time.
gTALK BATTLEh was there!! I got interested INSTANTLY. It was as if the pure
ENERGY of the teenagers came out of the screen, directly into my heart.
My weariness in body and mind had already gone.
The theme of that day was "Do you want to be praised by other people?h The program was filled with LIVELY discussion, which we don't have so often. The teenagers were arguing with their PURE words.
A girl said, gI WANT to be praised by people. I am studying very
hard in order to get good grades and to be ADMIRED. If you were not praised
by people, your life would be NONSENSE!h Other girl wonft agree, saying, gWe donft necessarily need praise
of people. We CAN spend happy meaningful life without it! If I am satisfied
with what I am doing, it is OK, isnft it?h
A boy said,gOthersfestimation is not reliable. People easily change their opinions. Worrying
about others' opinion too much IS NONSENSE!hc@
I was so MOVED. To tell the truth, it made me cry. Why? These boys
and girls are much younger than I. But they are talking with their own
GENUINE words seriously. They are trying their best expressing their true
feeling and opinion. But how about me? I don't do it in my daily life.
I use gsafeh words just to get along well with others. I often conceal
my true feeling or opinion to avoid arguing and avoid breaking the relationship.
What they are doing is completely different. They are speaking out what
they really think, listening to what others think, and trying to GET SOMETHING
through the gtalk battleh. I thought, gThey are really pure. But on the
other hand, I am NOT pure,h and somehow it made me cry.
Some people, however, are very critical on these guys. They say
that those teenagers in this program are very selfish or childish. But
I donft see it that way. These teenagers give me the courage to speak out
true feelings. And they teach me it is important to do so in order to have
REAL COMMUNICATION with others.
I always enjoy this program very much and I have even become a fan
of some of the guys. I want to watch "shaberi-ba" as much as
possible and I want to be stimulated through the "talk battle"s.
Thank you, BRILLIANT young guys!
Postscript : To my disappointment, "shaberi-ba" ended in March, 2006. But
I will NEVER forget this program.
