採用調査・人事調査の企業サービス【昭和５４年創業】

田舎暮らし。そうー、今年４月から月の半ばは極力、故郷「隠岐の島」に帰り、晴耕雨読よろしく、凪釣風読の生活を楽しんでいる。

　まだ、そんな生活をして半年足らずあるが、田舎暮らしの中で感じた事がある。それは、「田舎の豊かさ」と言うこと。

　生活の基盤は衣食住。その何れもが、全て豊である。

　衣は、豊というよりは、その必要性が無いと云うか、男性は作業服さえあれば十分で、後は冠婚葬祭の祭の礼服１着と旅行用に１・２着のジャケットがあれば、それで十分。

　食は、超豊か。米や麺類など炭水化物系は買うにしても、副食系は大半が自給自足。多くの家が庭の一部か、自宅近くの畑で、それなりの野菜作りをしており、お互いに貰ったりやったりの物々交換で、大半の家庭が買うことは稀・・・。全く栽培していない人でも、結構皆が持って来てくれる様である。また、魚は超豊富で、朝数時間の漁に出れば、何軒にも配れる漁があり、これも、やったり貰ったりで結構贅沢なものである。　歳を取れば、野菜と魚があれば十分で、肉系にはこだわりが無い。だから、食に余りお金が掛からない。サザエ、アワビ、岩牡蠣、ワカメやアラメは、海に入れる健康があれば結構手に入る。

　住は、代々の土地がふんだんにあり、住居は５０・６０坪のゆったりしたもので、どことも庭の手入れは行届き、家の中を覗けば、冷蔵庫が大概２つ３つ、食器たるや何十人分がズラッと並んでおり、物で溢れているといった感じ。そんな、外見的にはゆったりとした暮らし向きが観察されるもの

　従って、そこそこの収入があれば、そんなにアクセク働く必要が無い。それ故か、金儲けの話などにはとんと疎く、競争意識も薄く、多くの人が平穏安定思考で、ただただ健康でその日一日が送れれば、それで良し、的感覚が強いように思われる。

　だいたい金を使う事が無い。僕の友人曰く、「ポケットに５千円入れているが、それが減ることが中々ない・・・。１ヶ月まるまるそのまま残っている事さえある」と言う。確かに、彼の場合、タバコも酒も飲まずなので、そうかも知れないが、そうでなくとも、使いたくても使う所が無い、と云うのも事実である。

　だから皆、そんなにあくせく働かない。それでいて生活に困ることはなく、外見的には都会に住む人の数倍も豊かな暮らし向きである。

　そんなのは傍から見ただけのこと。本当を知らないから・・・、と言う人が居ると思うが、こんな話を田舎の友達にすると、皆が結構「そうだよ」的な答を返す。

　実は小生、根が商売人、と言う程ではないが、長年自分で事業をしてきただけに、どうしても商売に目が向く。従って、たまに帰っての田舎暮らしであるが、海と云う豊かな資源を目の前にしながら、それを商売に結び付けづ、喰えるから良いわ、的感覚で生活している状況をみると、勿体無い、何でこれをこうしないの？等と感じて、物足りなさを感じる。ところが、そんな話を口にしても、田舎生活にドップリつかった人は、そんな冒険はしなくとも、そんな無理はしなくとも、何もそんな・・・・、で、具体的に動こうとする人はいない。

　どうも、その思考の背景には、困らない豊かさがある様に思う。本当に、それがそうであれば、それはそうで、それが良いのかも知れないが。

　それに比べ、都会の生活は皆厳しい。子供を保育園や幼稚園に預け、夫婦共働きで、朝早くから夜遅くまで働き、給料は、社会保険料と税金、ローン返済で手取りは微々たるもの。ところが土日になれば金は飛んで出る、衣食住の誘惑を田舎の何十倍で、全てが金、金、金。

　色々考えさせられるよネ・・・・。

Country life. Well, from April this year, I’ve been going back to my hometown, Oki Island, as much as possible in the middle of the month, and enjoying the life of Nagi-Furi-Fu-Reading, as I call it, Harukou-Reading.

I’ve been living like that for less than half a year now, but there are some things I’ve felt while living in the country. That is to say, the “richness of the countryside”.

The foundation of life is food, clothing and shelter. Each and every one of them is abundant.

For men, work clothes are enough, and one dress for weddings and funerals and one or two jackets for travel are all that is needed.

The food is super rich. Even though we buy carbohydrates like rice and noodles, most of the side dishes are self-sufficient. Many families grow their own vegetables, either as part of their gardens or in the fields near their homes, and they barter with each other, rarely buying… Even if you don’t grow it at all, many people seem to bring it to me. In addition, fish are super abundant, and if you go out to fish for a few hours in the morning, there is a fishery that can be distributed to several houses, and this is also quite a luxurious thing to catch or receive.　When I get older, vegetables and fish are enough, and I’m not particular about meat-based foods. So, I don’t spend too much money on food. You can get turban shells, abalone, rock oysters, wakame seaweed and arame if you have the health to put them in the sea.

The house has a lot of land from generation to generation, and it is a spacious house of about 2.5 square meters, with a well-kept garden, and if you peek inside the house, you will find two or three refrigerators and dishes for dozens of people lined up in a row, overflowing with things. Such an outwardly relaxed way of living can be observed.

Therefore, if you have a decent income, you don’t have to work so much as an axe. Many people seem to have a strong sense of peace and stability, and just want to be healthy and get on with their day.

I don’t have much money to spend. A friend of mine says, “I have 5,000 yen in my pocket and it never goes down…sometimes it stays there for a whole month. This may be true because he does not smoke or drink, but it is also true that he has no place to use it even if he wants to.

That’s why people don’t work so hard. And yet, there is no shortage of life, and outwardly they are several times more affluent than city dwellers.

That’s just from the side. When I tell this story to my friends in the countryside, they reply, “That’s right”.

To tell the truth, I’m not really a businessman at heart, but as I’ve been running my own business for many years, I can’t help but turn my attention to business. Therefore, it is the country life of returning home sometimes, but when I look at the situation where we are living with the feeling that it is good to be able to eat it and not be able to connect it to the business while facing the rich resource called the sea, it is a shame, why don’t we do this? I feel that it’s not enough. However, even if you talk about it, there is no one who wants to do anything about it, even if they are not adventurous, even if they don’t want to, even if they don’t want to…

Apparently, there seems to be an abundance of untroubled wealth behind that thought. Really, it would be nice if it was.

By comparison, life in the city is tough for everyone. They leave their children at daycare or kindergarten, work together as a couple, early in the morning and late in the evening, and their salary is miniscule due to social insurance, taxes, and loan repayments. However, when it comes to Saturdays and Sundays, money flies out, the temptation of food, clothing, and shelter is tens of times the temptation of the countryside, and everything is money, money, money.

It makes me think a lot…..

今週２１日の日曜日、隠岐島前高等学校の同窓会が、肥後橋の徐園（中国料理店）で盛会裡に開催された。

　同窓会の名称は「家督会」（アトドカイ）。名前の由来は詳しくは知らないが、学校が家督山（アトドサン）の麓に所在する所から来たものと思う。

　エッ隠岐にも山があるの・・・等とのたまう人も居るかも知れないが、大雑把に言えば、隠岐は海と山だけ。特に我が母校がある島前地区は、海と山で、人が住んでいるのは山裾の海岸端。それも１００軒もある所は少なく、５０軒程の集落が点在する長閑な地域である。

　田舎の集まりは大体そうであるが、会が始まる１時間半くらい前から、ぞろぞろと集まって来る・・・。最近は、それにも少し慣れてきたが、僕は、会と名がつくものには基本１分を前後してしか行かない方で、それが普通と思っていたが、世話役をする様になって、初めてこの事を知った。そして、参加者が如何に楽しみに参集するかを実感することとなった。

　開会の冒頭、島前高校の教頭先生から、学校の現況について話があったが、何と今年教員が９名も一挙に増員したと云う。勿論、生徒数も増えてはいるが、こんな田舎の学校で先生が一挙に９名も増員となるなんて有り得ないこと。県の教育委員会もよくぞ決断したと思うが、それだけ地元、島前３ヶ町村が結束し、熱心に訴えた結果の賜物であろう。しかも、県立高校なのに県外からの生徒を多数受け入れ、寮の他に島親制度なるものを立ち上げ、親元を離れて学ぶ生徒の親代わりとして、土日には家に招いて一緒に食事をしたり、授業参観に顔を出したりなどして、島を挙げて応援態勢をとっていると云う。

　廃校寸前であった我が母校、島根県立隠岐島前高等学校が、今や全国的に注目の的。学力も急激にアップしている様で、国公立、有名市立大にも数多く入っていると聞く。

　「成せばなる　成さねばならぬ　何事も」、そう・・何でもそうなのだ。成さなければ、何事も絶対にならい。成しさえすれば何とかなるのだ。これは真理ですぞ・・・・。

　冒頭こんな嬉しい話を聞いた為、小生の頭はヒートアップ。一次会が終わりかけると誰言うとなく二次会の雰囲気がプンプン。夏の太陽が燦燦と輝く真昼間の３時、仕方なく飲み屋のママに電話。急遽、店を開けて貰い、同級生１２名が尽きることなき歌と喋くりに時間を忘れた。

　そして翌日はボーとした頭で「奈良の杜ゴルフクラブ」でナイスチョット。一番ホールでＯＢ連発・・・・トホホ・・・。でもトータル８０代でしたぞ。

　久しぶりに御歳６５歳の壮年が高校生に帰った、それはそれは楽しい２日間であった。

The reunion of the Okijimae High School was held this Sunday, the 21st, at Xu Yuan, a Chinese restaurant in Higobashi.

The name of the alumni association is the “family governing board” (Atodokai). I don’t know the origin of the name, but I think it comes from the place where the school is located at the foot of Atodosan.

Some people may say that there are mountains in Oki too, but roughly speaking, Oki is only sea and mountains. Especially in Shimamae area where my alma mater is located, there is a sea and a mountain, and people live in the coastal edge of the mountain. There are not many places with 100 houses, and it is a quiet area dotted with about 50 villages.

As is usually the case in the countryside, they all came here from about an hour and a half before the start of the meeting. I’ve gotten used to it a little recently, but I used to think it was normal for me to only go back and forth for a minute at a time for anything that could be called a meeting, but it was only when I became a caretaker that I learned about it. And it made me realize how much the participants were looking forward to attending.

At the beginning of the opening of the meeting, the principal of Shimamae High School talked about the current state of the school, and he said that the number of teachers had been increased by nine at once this year. Of course, the number of students has increased, but it is impossible for a school in the country to have nine more teachers at once. I think the prefectural board of education also made a good decision, and this is the result of the unity of the three local towns and villages in Shimamae, and their enthusiastic appeal. Furthermore, although it is a prefectural high school, it accepts many students from outside of the prefecture, and in addition to the dormitory, it has set up an island parent system to act as a parent for students who have left their parents’ homes, inviting them to have meals with them on Saturdays and Sundays and visiting their classes.

Our alma mater, Okijimae High School in Shimane Prefecture, which was on the verge of being closed, is now attracting national attention. The academic ability seems to be improving rapidly, and I hear that many students have entered national and public universities as well as famous city universities.

“If you do, you will become, you must become.” That’s right…it’s just like anything. If you don’t do it, nothing will ever happen. It’s just a matter of getting it done. This is the truth…..

Because I heard such a happy story at the beginning, my head was heated up. When the first party was coming to an end, the atmosphere of the second party seemed to go on without anyone saying anything. At three o’clock in the middle of the day when the summer sun was shining brightly, I had no choice but to call the mother of the tavern. I was asked to open the restaurant in a hurry, and I lost track of time with 12 of my classmates singing and talking endlessly.

The next day, I played “Nara no Mori Golf Club” with a dazed head. A series of OBs in the first hole…………………. But I was in my 80s in total.

It had been a long time since the age of 65 returned to high school, and it was a pleasant two days.