No.0151：Preparation for Being Able to Say, “Fine, I’ll Move On Then!”
June 24,2026
 
When you do not have financial room to breathe, you end up lowering your head even when you do not want to. That is why preparation for emergencies is essential. It gives you the freedom to say, in the face of unfairness, “Fine, I’ll move on then!”
 
A Sense of Unease Toward an Age of Excess
The other day, the Nikkei Stock Average reached an all-time high. Lately, those words have become somewhat familiar, while also carrying a nostalgic ring. There was once a time when Japan was intoxicated with itself, a period later called the bubble, a word used to describe something with no real substance behind it. People talked about Japan as No. 1, and some even suggested that Japanese money might take over the world. Everyone knows how things turned out after that. It was like a highly touted high school baseball star who lit up Koshien, entered the pros with great fanfare, and then quietly faded into obscurity, remaining a great unfinished talent.
 
Back then, young women in tight bodycon dresses danced provocatively on raised platforms. There were also women who called up men known as “messhi-kun,” men who would treat them to meals. At fancy Italian restaurants, they would twirl pasta with a fork against a spoon, making that sharp squeaking sound as metal rubbed against metal. It was the kind of unpleasant noise that seemed to shake the core of your body. To me, a high school student from the countryside, that urban scene looked rather strange.
 
The Preparation That Makes “Fine, I’ll Move On Then!” Possible
They say the consumption patterns you develop when you are young stay with you for life. Even now, when I see people who spend freely, I sometimes sense in their background a lingering trace of the bubble era atmosphere. At the same time, I find myself wondering whether their cash flow, in other words the balance between money coming in and money going out, is really all right. There may be slim competitive eaters, but there is no such thing as a person who can keep making large expenditures on a small income. Unless, of course, they can keep a messhi-kun on standby.
 
Such consumption patterns have a powerful effect on life. One of the important qualities of a business leader, I have heard, is the courage to stop current sales for the sake of future growth. I remember a former president of Toyota describing a plateau in sales as an intentional pause, and I still think that was an impressive expression. The same applies to individuals. When the needs of society or a company change, your own value may decline. At such times, what you need is time to stop for a while and rebuild yourself. To make that possible, you have to restrain flashy consumption and prepare in advance, like a national petroleum reserve that helps ease the risk of a crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
 
Otherwise, you may end up in a dull environment where you cannot fully use your abilities, bowing your head while counting down the days until retirement. Flashy consumption can wait until after you have gained real ability, competitiveness, and bargaining power. I absolutely refuse to remain controlled by money, or by an unpleasant boss. If an opinion about something I truly, truly want to protect is casually brushed aside, I want to have the strength to lightly say, “Fine, I’ll move on then!” That strength must be based on preparation. Endurance is not always noble. As much as possible, I want to use endurance for the sake of freedom. Of course, I am not saying that running away is always the winning move. What I mean is that when values differ greatly and collaboration becomes difficult, it is necessary to move to the right place.
 
What Is Appropriate Eventually Becomes Ordinary
Just as there was once a feverish age of excess, perhaps today’s AI boom is also a kind of “bubble.” When I use it, I sometimes feel as if it is an unbeatable tool that strengthens me. But every now and then, I feel a flicker of anxiety. Right now, I can give AI appropriate instructions and receive appropriate returns. But before long, everyone will be able to use it in the same way. Any advantage I have may be temporary, and what is appropriate will surely turn ordinary at great speed, like liquids of different densities mixing together until they become uniform. Perhaps a temporary pause will be necessary in order to move toward a new kind of rarity. I need to save up for that moment. Also, to avoid becoming subordinate to a dull environment.
 
Could we have predicted the present ten years ago? And what, exactly, will things look like ten years from now? I do not know how things will turn out, but at the very least, I feel that the importance of preparation is only increasing.