Professor Sakamoto, it’s been a while. I’m the one who asked for your advice in "Speaking with Authority, Part 9."
Thank you for your guidance then. Nowadays, the word "konkatsu" (marriage hunting) is practically in the dictionary here in Japan, but I’ve recently started to question the purpose and necessity of marriage. I work in a place with only women, where meeting potential partners is difficult. However, I find fulfillment in my work and enjoy my days as they are. Perhaps because I’ve lived alone for so long, I’ve grown accustomed to the ease of solitude. Living with someone else is, frankly, a hassle, isn’t it? I imagine it is. If I were to fall for someone, this feeling might change, of course.

But now that I’m 40, I’m seeing information about the last chance for childbirth and feeling a sense of unease, a nagging feeling of whether I should be anxious, whether I *need* to be anxious. I also have a desire to try something completely new, like raising my own child, which is different from nurturing a subordinate. Yet, I can’t imagine making that the sole focus of my life...
I believe it’s a natural order of things that if a man is capable, it’s inevitable that one or more women will want to be with him and bear his children. I find monogamy itself to be somewhat unrealistic (though I’m not having an affair, nor do I have a boyfriend). Ultimately, if it’s the child of a man I love, I want to have it.
By the way, Professor Sakamoto, how do you view marriage?
If possible, I’d like to hear your thoughts excluding the aspect of children...

Falling in Love Is a Trap

I don’t think societal norms matter much.
This isn’t an answer, but getting married is easy with just a piece of paper, while divorcing is difficult. It takes tremendous effort (laughs).
But I suppose that’s also a kind of trap.

If individuals are merely "vehicles for DNA," then it makes sense for propagation to be prioritized, and society is structured to facilitate marriage.
It’s not just about a piece of paper; when you fall for someone, don’t you become blind to things? That’s precisely the trap, not just for humans, but for all beings.


How to have a good breakup with a woman?
What are the conditions for maintaining a suitable distance with a woman you love?

There Is No Such Thing as a Good Breakup!

A good breakup with a woman?
Everyone makes an effort. Everyone overcomes it with pain (laughs).
I don’t know about a good breakup, but a cunning way to end things is to make yourself the villain.
There is no such thing as a good breakup or a suitable distance!

Taking all the blame upon yourself, thinking "it's all my fault," is the easiest way to find closure, at least for me (laughs). I’ve even passed that lesson on to my son.
When breaking up, it’s easiest to blame the other person, isn’t it? If you blame them, things tend to move forward. For the woman, it becomes easier to accept if she thinks, "It wasn’t me, it was him." That way, the past becomes the past. So, if a man (or woman?) can endure that, a rosy future awaits (laughs).