101. Is this a "degradation" of ideology?

Then, can we simply call this change "degradation of thought"? It is not necessarily the case. Since thoughts are used within society, they inevitably undergo changes. Buddhism also underwent significant transformations as it entered China from India and then Japan.

Christianity has also taken on different forms depending on the region and era. Yoga, too, has changed significantly from its ancient Indian practice system to modern health culture. When an idea moves, it is translated into a form that meets the needs of that society. Therefore, the fact that "the law of attraction" in Japanese society became associated with concepts such as "not striving," "being oneself," and "femininity" is not surprising as a cultural change.

It is interesting to note the direction of that transformation.

102. The possibility that Japanese society needed to embrace "not trying hard."

In Japanese society, for a long time, there have been strong values such as the following.

• Diligence.
• Patience.
• Effort.
• Loyalty to the organization.
• Not causing trouble to others.
• Understanding the atmosphere (reading the air).
• Fulfilling responsibilities.

In such societies, there is a possibility that "self-improvement" in the form of "try harder" becomes less appealing than "self-improvement" in the form of "you don't have to try so hard anymore" from a certain point on.

In other words, "spiritual laziness" may not be simply a form of idleness, but rather a reaction against an overly diligent society.

103. The era when "if you work hard, you will be rewarded" has collapsed.

Further socioeconomic changes may also be considered. During the period of rapid economic growth, people strived to achieve success.

• Study.
• Enter a company.
• Work for a long time.
• Get promoted.
• Income increases.
• The story of buying a house had some realistic basis.

However, when economic growth slows down, employment becomes unstable, and more people find that their income does not increase even if they work hard, the very belief in the narrative of "if you try your best, you will be rewarded" diminishes. At that time, being told to "try harder" loses its persuasiveness. Therefore, conversely, the idea that "trying leads to failure" begins to become appealing.

104. From "Success Philosophy" to "Beyond Success Philosophy".

In the 20th century, self-improvement taught people to set goals, make plans, work hard, and manage themselves in order to achieve success. However, in the 21st century, a different market emerged for those who were tired of that philosophy of success. This market says things like: "You don't need to have goals," "You don't need to try hard," "You don't need to do things you dislike," "Just be yourself," and "Leave it up to the universe."

This may appear to be a rebellion against self-improvement. However, if it promises that "ultimately, you can become rich" through it, the goal of success itself remains.

Only the method has changed, transforming effort into effortless action.

105. It appears that someone has abandoned success, but in reality, they have not abandoned it.

This is important. If you are truly withdrawing from a competitive society, it should be in a direction where it doesn't matter if your income is low, even if you live a simple life, even if you don't have social status, and even if you can't consume things. This is close to traditional monastic life or some aspects of the back-to-nature movement.

However, in modern "Law of Attraction" teachings that emphasize "not trying," it often leads to the following:

• I don't want to work, but I want money.
• I don't want to compete, but I want to be rich.
• I don't want to make an effort, but I want the ideal life.
• I don't want to be bound by a company, but I want travel, beauty treatments, and comfortable housing.

In other words, it can be said that what is being denied is not capitalist success itself, but only the costs that have been necessary for achieving such success.

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