Another creature strongly connected with the element of water, these koi fish with their golden and red scales are the foundation and source of motivation in the lives of a Japanese. There’ s more to the school of colorful fishes than what meets the eye.
Legends say that if these koi fishes succeed in swimming upstream along the“ Yellow River” and reaches the“ Dragons Gate”, they would be transformed into a Dragon and ascend heaven, the ultimate achievement of one’ s goal. The myths that surrounded them had shaped them into symbols of ambitions and luck.
A red koi fish would represent love or passion, but the shades and tones of it would also resulted in a masculine meaning: it takes courage to swim upstream in a running river. There are many obstacles and predators that would stop them in their journey. But they will never once quiver and will not hesitate to hold onto their place in life, almost instinctively from how you would normally see fishes flapping the fins when they were taken out of water.
They work in groups to escape, to overcome the obstacles, and continue on to become what they strive to be. It is the purest form of fraternal relationships. There is no questioning, even a small fish has got the mental capacity comparable to a grown man. They are valued for their luck against the stumbles of life and their accomplishments, but it is the inspiration to work hard to succeed despite their small statues. How these carp are capable of leaping out of the rough waves and became part of the sky high above. They never once reject their appearances or supposed insignificance with what they were born with or the universe has given them, they accept who they are and this is the first step of becoming a better version of themselves. How could they have become dragons if they don’ t believe in themselves?
Spirituality varies within each and every one of us. It is a universal subconscious of humans and what bring purpose to our lives, the will to continue living on and see another day. Our own experiences and personal relationships depends greatly in the formation of it and in turns, it becomes our aspirations. These koi fishes, one identical to the other, is simply a small speck in the massive ocean. But such great aspiration lives on in such a tiny body which is what makes them stand out from others. Each and every one of them are distinctly different in their own ways and they have their own determined destination in mind. In face of the apparent commonality, there exist a personal strive at one point in anyone’ s lives.
Backdrop and communal experiences have a great impact on the nation’ s behavior and in shaping the mindset of a Japanese’ s distinctive identity. Koifish is not only a symbol of fortune, it is the way individuals strive for advancement and seeking the limits of their capabilities. It was understanding the depths of the struggles they face, both emotional and physical pressures, from the world around them.
In Japan’ s working culture,“ Kaorshi” is used to describe someone dying due to overwork. It is not uncommon to see office workers spending late nights in offices and arriving really late back home. In fact, they are supposed to place their work as a priority over families.
A man working in a HK touring agency for Japan trips mentioned when he lived in Japan, if you arrived home early from work, the entire apartment complex would spread the news about it and you would be considered as a non-hard working person. This was what the Japanese were taught when growing up and what sets them apart from other nationalities. It might not necessarily be considered a positive thing amongst a community, especially when unity is associated with harmony and compassion, but it is the encouragement of the“ Uchi-Soto”( Us and Them) that helps to strive the economy and help bring food to the table in this overtaking society, with few jobs to spare.
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