စိတ်ထဲရှိသမျှ

I juggled multiple Burmese political books last year, and this was the only non-political book I read, and I loved it. The book tells the story of a teenage boy, 14 years old, growing up in 1930s Japan, and his uncle, who cares for his nephew and offers him advice—loads of it, most particularly in Japanese ways. In addition to the story, it educates the readers not only on art, science, language, history, politics, and philosophy but also teaches a powerful message on the value of thinking for oneself and standing up for others during troubled times.

As we move through our lives as human beings, all of us, young and old, encounter sadness, hardship, and pain, each in our own way. Of course, those are not things anyone ever wishes for. But it is thanks to sadness, hardship, and pain that we come to know what a free human being is. There is not limited to the pain and suffering that one feels in one’s heart. Likewise, the pain and suffering that we feel right in our bodies hold the same sort of meaning.