新年、2021年、陽はまた昇る 清水直子 English followed after Japanese greeting
全てがうまく廻らない、と、当ご挨拶の提出締め切りも迫り、頭を抱えていた2020年12月半ば、弊社のメキシコシティ在住のテクノロジー担当、天才青年ジョセフから吉報が届きました。コロナ禍は、世界中を別世界に一変させ、時間と経済を止め、あらゆるレベルにおいて停滞と不安を招き、犯罪率の上昇をも導きましたが、9月末、ジョセフは運転中に強盗に足を撃たれ、大出血を伴う重傷からICUで1か月を過ごしましたが、メッセージは“今日、杖なしで初めて自分の足で歩くことが出来た”“人生で何が大切か、誰が真の友人か、を教えてもらえたよ。ありがとう”というものでした。
16年間、少しでも世界を良い場所にしたい、という使命のもと、国境を越えて命を救い、命の誕生を助けるという多岐に亘る命に係わるコンサルテーションを提供してきた弊社にとっても、今年はコロナ渦により想像を絶する問題が続出しました。その中で、いかにクライアントが100%の信頼を託してくれているかを含め、常時では不可能なレッスンを得ました。
世界中の一人一人が、様々なレベルで影響を受け、従来の価値観の見直し、どう苦難に対応するかを試されています。しかし、そこから生まれるものもあります。ジョセフのメッセージを受け取った日、私が励まされたように、我々には明日がある、陽はまた昇ることをお伝えしたい、と原稿を書き直しました。
苦境から学んだことを生かし、皆様のために更に努力することを誓うと同時に、皆様の健康を心からお祈り申し上げ新年のご挨拶とさせていただきます。
Published on January 1, 2021 USA By Weekly Business News Corp.
Weekly Biz New Year’s Greeting 2021 :US-Japan’s leaders
New Year 2021: The Sun Also Rises
As I sat down to write this New Year’s greeting, I felt stuck—with everything that went wrong in 2020, I was afraid there was nothing good I could write. Then, in mid-December, I received good news from Joseph, the smart young man in Mexico City who runs our company’s technology.
The pandemic has completely changed our world and brought time to a standstill. It’s ground the economy to a halt, caused stagnation and anxiety at all levels, and led to higher crime rates. At the end of September, Joseph was shot in the thigh by burglars, and spent a month in the ICU with heavy bleeding as a result of his injuries. That day in mid-December, he sent me a message:
“Today is a remarkable milestone,” Joseph wrote. “I was able to walk on my own for the first time without a cane. This incident taught me what is most important in life, and who is a true friend. Naoko, I would like to thank you for your trust and support.”
Our company was founded 16 years ago with the goal of making the world a better place. Through the wide range of medical/legal consultancy services we offer, we have been able to help people save lives and assist with births across borders. This pandemic has caused unimaginable problems when helping people this year; at the same time, I’ve been able to learn just how deeply our clients trust me and rely on me during such trying times.
Each and every person in the world continues to be affected at various levels by this pandemic. Their traditional values are being tested, and they are learning to deal with different hardships every day. However, it’s undeniable that there have been valuable lessons to come from it as well. The day I received Joseph’s message, I felt encouraged and reenergized to rewrite this greeting to remind you all: we will always have tomorrow, and the sun will rise again.
I pledge to keep learning from this pandemic and work harder than ever for every one of you. I wish you all great health and happiness in the new year.
