首付近が固くて痛くて、首がスムーズに回らない症状が昨年の二月ごろから継続中。先日近くの針とマッサージ師を訪ねた。「かわいそうなくらい背中の鎖骨あたりの筋肉がかたいです。痛みを耐えるために無意識のうち首、肩、背中の筋肉が張り詰めているよ。」とのこと。ほぐすこと四十五分。何十年と長いことローンで首が回らないことが続いたせいかローン終了後、本当に首が回らなくなった▼精神的圧迫、負担、心配ごとの連続、自分で物事を処置できなくなるなど世の常におそわれることだとしても、ストレス解消は精神的マッサージを心にしてもらうほかない。誰がそのマッサージをしてくれるのか。同志である。ユダヤ人の同志ということばは、赤穂浪士の数年にわたる忍従の年月を経て最後にはいのちをも捧げるという意味をもっているという。日本人にはその意味がよくわかるし、心に響く。四十七人は同志の資格有だ。共通の目的のために「血か、金か、時間、労力」を懸けるもの。心情的同情、趣味程度、懐が痛まない程度の寄付提供者を同志とは言わない。絆を結ぶ同志のいない者は、精神的疲弊ストレスが募るのみか。

March 2015 My stiff neck due to stress
I have been suffering from pains caused by stiff neck since February last year. I saw an acupuncturist/masseur the other day. He examined my condition and said to me, “your muscles around clavicle are so pitifully hardened because you were trying to tolerate pain all the time and unconsciously tighten muscles supporting neck, shoulders and back.” He gave me a good massage for 45 minutes. For the last several decades, I couldn’t turn my neck to pay off my mortgage and now my neck literally doesn’t turn at all!
▼I know that I’ve been constantly attacked by numerous mental strains, burdens, anxieties, depressions and helplessness of solving daily matters and I need to get a good massage to my heart to heal such psychological stress.
▼Who’s gonna give me a massage? My brothers – “Brothers” in Jewish context is similar to what we mean in the heroic story of “Akou Roushi Samurai” who developed a relationship of patient submission amongst themselves over many years of service to their lord and readiness to sacrifice their lives. Such brotherhood is well understood by Japanese and even echoing through our heart. Those 47 Akou Roushi were eligible to become brothers. I also expect my brothers to make a great sacrifice to achieve our common aims by generously making contributions in forms of blood, money, time and effort. I don’t consider such people, who make only a minimal contribution, sympathy and casual participation, my brothers. In the absence of reliable brothers who are willing to tie a not (Kizuna) with me, I just ended up having accumulating mental stress and neck pains. Alas!

著者紹介

畠田 秀生
畠田 秀生
聖書と日本フォーラム会長。聖書日本キリスト教会・登茂山の家の教会牧師。三重県志摩市在住。