Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

(Gospel of John, Chapter 4)

You must be born again, leaving your physical body behind.

But then, how can one be born of the Spirit?

Do not be surprised that I told you that you must be born again.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

This is the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

This is the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

(Gospel of John, Chapter 3)

The wind blows wherever it pleases.

You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

This phrase immediately brings to mind that famous song by Bob Dylan, doesn't it?

"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song

from Bob Dylan's second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan",
released in 1963 and also issued as a single.

Commentary [Edit]

A message song with a simple yet powerful melody and harmonic progression. It consists of three verses, each posing a question in the style of a protest song: "How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?" and "How many times must the cannonballs fly before they're forever banned?" followed by more abstract questions like "How many years can a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea?" and "How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?" The refrain, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind," concludes each verse. This ambiguity allows for free interpretation, making it popular not only with traditional folk fans but also with those dissatisfied with the established social structure.

The lyrics were published in the magazine "Sing Out!" in 1962, along with Dylan's comments.

"I can't say too much about this song, but the answer is blowin' in the wind. It's not in any book, or on any movie or TV show or discussion group. It's in the wind, and blowin' in the wind. Hip people think they know it all, but I don't believe them. For me, it's blowin' in the wind, and like a piece of paper, it has to fall to the ground someday. But even when it falls, no one will pick it up to read it, so it flies away, unseen and ununderstood. The worst kind of villain in the world is the one who sees something wrong and knows it's wrong in his head, but turns his eyes away. I'm only 21, but I've already seen too many adults like that. You adults over 21 should know better, and be smarter."

From http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/風に吹かれて_(ボブ・ディランの曲)

I've quoted quite a lot, but

I didn't really want to talk about Bob Dylan here.

It's not that I wanted to reveal the origin of this masterpiece.

The phrase I excerpted from the Gospel

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but

you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going."

comes from "Yase reba bijin" (If You Lose Weight, You'll Be Beautiful) by Hidemi Takahashi, published by Shinchosha Bunko.

This is because Takahashi's "Go-senzo-sama wa dochira-sama?" (Who Are Your Ancestors?) was so delightful,

and the impetus to read it was a recommendation on Horie's paid blog, which is currently beyond the moat. What sealed the deal was the superb title of "Go-senzo-sama wa dochira-sama?", which made me impulsively pick it up, and it turned out to be a hit. Then,
I devoured "Yase reba bijin" in a day and a half, and now I'm planning to move on to "Karakuri minshu shugi" (Mechanical Democracy).

What's more, I'm simultaneously reading works from my favorite Edo period genre of the past decade or so,

laughing at "Ichinichi Edojin" (A Day as an Edoite) by Hinako Sugiura, and impressed by "Edo no tamago wa ikko 400-en!" (An Egg in Edo Cost 400 Yen!) by Isao Maruta.

Hmm? So, I was going to talk about my impressions of "Yase reba bijin," but

Since I don't usually have the habit of looking at myself objectively in a mirror and accepting what I see,

I finished reading this book with a sense of detachment, as if it were someone else's story, finding it amusing. But

yesterday, I had my portrait taken at the invitation of a certain brand,

I'll talk about that later, but after the session,

the designer, as a memento, asked me to take a digital camera snapshot with the esteemed photographer...

Later, when I saw the designer's blog, I was so shocked I nearly fell out of my chair.

Who is this fat person?

There I was, unmistakably me, the person in charge of "Yase reba bijin"!

Am I really this fat? Yes, I am.

Now, please join me in reciting.

The wind blows wherever it pleases.

You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.


Profound, so profoundly true.

That's right. I had to start by acknowledging that I myself am fat, both physically and mentally.

Once again, please join me in reciting.

Do not be surprised that I told you that you must be born again.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but

Amen~

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