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2013.7.17 KIP Forum: “A Different Way of Looking at the World”
By Dr. Robert A. Ulmer, counselor (Commercial ・Ontario) at Embassy of Canada in Japan
pFor our latest forum in July, we invited Dr. Robert Ulmer who is a current counselor at the Embassy of Canada in Japan to hear about his perspective on the importance of knowing and embracing as many different perspectives as one individual can by referring to his own experiences of studying English and Japanese literature, publishing the English translation of “The Lemon” and involving in various activities and fields as JETRO and the financial world of Japan and Canada.
Dr. Ulmer emphasized on the significance of seeking and knowing the value of “En” which can be translated as chances, connections or fate with others. He gave us a number of actual examples he had experienced through the track he has been so far. He also gave us a clue to think about the importance of looking for different perspectives.
In the group discussion we had at the end of the forum, Dr. Ulmer gave us a question, “What is preventing us from seeking for different perspectives?” Several Japanese students insisted that there are cultural and customary reasons for Japanese people not to seek for different ways of thinking by quoting a proverb “The stake sticks out gets hammered in”. Some others came up with the ways how to be aware and familiar with different viewpoints.
Through this forum, found out that the term “En” is what we gain from our imagination that is framed by the information and different senses of values that we come in touch with in our daily lives. And I believe that showing our interests in a variety of phenomena and seeking to know different perspectives are significant in forming this imagination. (Mami Takano)