Society’s rise and fall and the cycle of life
Recently, I often think about the lifespan that exists for an organization and a society, just the way we human beings have a lifetime. In our lifetime, we grow from an infant to a youth, then enter a mature stage and live out our life. Thus, ancient people described the life process as “青春 (youth)”, “朱夏 (the prime of life)”, “白秋 ( fruiting/aging stage)”, and “玄冬 (mastering and another beginning)”. When we think about it, no society nor civilization has ever been eternal. The Roman Empire came to an end after about 400 years, and if we look back the last 100 years, we have experienced two world wars, the rise of the European Union, and the beginning as well as the end of the Cold War.
We tend to act upon the assumption that existing systems perpetuate, but in reality everything is ephemeral. Observing the rising tide of protectionism and populism, it is hard not to sense the upcoming political instability worldwide. For us who live in the present time, it is critical to learn from the past in order to make a steady development toward the future.
The Eastern culture has described the cycle of human history as the process of plant and tree growth and created the Sexagenary Cycle using 60 combinations of Jikkan (the Ten “Kan”) and Junishi (the Twelve “Shi”), which was used as the foundation for interpreting unseen tides and exogenous changes surrounding life. “Kan” means “stems”, and “Shi” means “branches”, hence stems and branches signify a tree or plant, that is, a life. The Sexagenary system is a reflection of ancient wisdom, a posteriori method to grasp tides of the history and society.
Kanoe Ne
The year, 2020, according to the 60 Cycle, is the year of “庚子” (Kanoe Ne in Japanese reading or Kou Shi in Chinese reading). The “庚” has several meanings: continuation/succession, recoupment, and renewal. Therefore, the character signifies a steady continuation from the previous year, while adding renovative changes in it. The “子” is the first element of the 12 earthly branches (or the 12 signs of the Chinese/Japanese zodiac) and signifies the arrival of Yang (the positive energy) as well as the multiplication of things. In this sense, we can interpret that the year Kanoe Ne will be a year to carry on things from the previous year while constantly adding elements of new development.
The last Kanoe Ne year was 1960, which represented the year of Africa; many African countries long colonized by the Western countries had achieved independence in this year.
This, in other words, was the year that revealed the decline of the old European power, including the British and French Empires. The one before 1960 was the year 1900. In this Kanoe Ne year, the Boxer Rebellion occurred toward the collapse of the Qing dynasty.
What about this Kanoe Ne year?
Last year was “己亥” (Tsuchinoto I or Ko Gai) and we at MindSeeds Inc. shared our view that 2019 would become a concrete turning point toward a new societal reconstruction. Indeed, we saw major transitions in many areas including the US-China trade war, which indicated the beginning of a new era.
This year will become a year to carry over things from the previous year but renewing and renovating them at the same time. There will be a divergence in the fate of a country or company depending on how they put their effort in sprouting the seeds they sowed last year. The world is further splitting into extremes such as protectionists and authoritarians, but at the same time, global environmental problems require cooperative action across borders. Equally, various issues stemming from globalization, liberalism, capitalism, and economic disparity will require actions one dimension higher in order to devise fundamental solutions. The year 2020 should reveal multiple answers to or consequences of our challenges.
The next year is “辛丑” (Kanoto Ushi or Shin Chu). “辛” signifies further renewal, and to break through various obstacles such as contradictions and repressions. “丑” means to start, to tie, and to catch. Now that we have entered the beginning of a new era, whether this year will mark a milestone toward decline or the bridge head for new prosperity relies on the wisdom and action of each one of us. Let’s stand up with our own "sword" (meaning, to utilize one’s unique strength) and with a firm footing to develop a better society together.
