Between Dream
and Reality

As a child, I was always lost in fantasy. Novels and manga were my best companions, and I preferred to immerse myself in their fantastic worlds instead of playing with my peers. But I also enjoyed nonfiction genres and devoured stories about victims of wars and environmental pollution. My interests have not changed even as I grew up.
Studying environmental harm, sexual violence, and domestic violence, I must come face to face with pain and suffering.
Attempts to help the victims or improve their situation are all too often futile. There seems to be little hope in their world. However, my deep involvement with the victims also sometimes allows me to share their treasured memories and experience their sincere kindness.
I believe that in order to study ethics, one needs to be tough enough to laugh and voice one’s dreams even in a desperate situation. I refuse to get trapped by cynicism, irony, and nihilism — instead, I keep stoking my resolve to right the wrongs of the world.