RESONATING ACROSS TIME-ZONES
‘ Mon ’ as a gender generic word , meaning ‘ human being ’. This is corroborated by the Oxford English Dictionary . Those responsible could be led to conclude that , with the introduction of girls to the school , the motto can be left untouched .
The Middle English word ‘ makyth ’ includes the concept of ‘ growing ’ and Yasu cites Div as an example of the making of ‘ Man ’, in contrast to Man being ‘ made ’ from exam results alone . In conclusion he suggests that the concept of ‘ Manners ’ goes far beyond intelligence , and relates to a person ’ s whole being , not just their achievements ; this is something he has felt keenly throughout his year at Winchester . The motto ‘ is very much relevant today , and it will be relevant to Wykehamists in the future ’.
Div was a game-changer for Yasu . ‘ I had a lot of discussion classes which represented a big difference between Japan and England ; in Japan , we are not good at expressing our opinions , even during discussions ’. He was fortunate that he could offer views on one particular topic , the differences between Oriental and Western cultures and histories . Back at Keio , he has now taken up the challenge of introducing discussion groups .
He acknowledges that ‘ it was hard ; it was not easy ’ when he first came to Winchester , owing to the language and to cultural differences . He made headway only by engaging with people during activities such as sport and music . He says that Hopper ’ s was a welcoming House , where he made many friends . He cites House lunch as important : ‘ I really enjoyed the time with teachers ’. His Co Prae was consistently kind to him and ‘ had his own confident way of dealing with people , including great kindness and steadiness ’.
Yasu regarded Community Service as a great opportunity at Winchester , given there is little in Japan . He volunteered in a Primary School , assisting ‘ children to interact with nature , including trying to catch some fish in the river and study
THE CONCEPT OF ‘ MANNERS ’ GOES FAR BEYOND INTELLIGENCE , AND RELATES TO A PERSON ’ S WHOLE BEING , NOT JUST THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS .
insects ’. ‘ If they don ’ t engage with nature ,’ he says , ‘ they will never be interested in climate change ’ — another of Yasu ’ s passions . He has initiated engagement with a Primary School in Japan .
Yasu reflects on his year : ‘ I loved my time at Winchester ; it was completely different from my experiences in Japan — there were so many opportunities for me ’. After leaving he was accepted as one of very few from secondary schools onto a Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations . There , inter alia , he heard from the Global President of Pfizer on how established procedures were compromised to speed up the production of a Covid vaccine . LGBTQ issues and gender inequality were also discussed — ‘ one of the bad traditions in Japan ’.
What of a career ? ‘ I ’ m trying to find a way to contribute to society ,’ says Yasu , ‘ but it depends on what I study at University .’ He is interested in the provision of foreign language help to refugees . His div don ’ s note is less equivocal : ‘ Yasu is a remarkable pupil , with leadership qualities , who could easily become an international figure of significance in his future life ; any University is going to be taking a truly outstanding young person ’.
We watch and wait . Written by JAMES YOUNGER
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