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Conformity and perfectionism is the western translation, but they are inaccurate, for the same reasons most translations are inaccurate. They are translations by appearance only. As a culture perfectionism is shunned, and individuality is encouraged. The translation would have you believe the opposite. The cause lies in their extremely specific moral values as a society. They call it the Japanese spirit (nihon no kokoro, 日本の心) and it embodies discipline, proper procedure, mastery, sacrifice for the greater good, among other things. A good member of society is one that aspires to be an iconic Japanese. And when an entire culture behaves in this manner, they do appear to conform, and to value perfection, and to even act as one. But they're aligned only because they uphold similar values and share common goals. The Japanese are conformist as much as a good Christian wants to be a good Christian. Christians don't conform to Christianity. They embody it, and hence become similar as a result, not as their motivation. They are perfectionist as much as an aspiring athlete wants to be like Mike. They aren't looking to master Perfect or become Perfect. They just want to be like Mike. And we don't say kids playing basketball are conformist for all wearing Jordan or Steph Curry gear, nor do they wear it to conform. They do it because they love those players (just as the Japanese love their country). Another great Japanese word is kodawari (こだわり). It's the obsessively picky and uncompromising soul of a craftsman. This too could easily be translated as perfectionism, but "perfection (kanpeki)" is not their goal. "Ideal (risou)" is their goal. And kodawari is an emotion, whereas perfectionism is not. And "ideal" is a dynamic and personal target, where as "perfection" is not. Perfection is for amateurs. |