Japanese Reflection Essay
名前：ユー・チェンフェン Tut: A6, B6, C1
翼の会のみなさんとの交流から学んだこと
During the interaction with the members of Tsubasa no Kai, we were given the opportunity to speak to two distinguished guests, Aritaka-san and Morita-san. Out of all the topics that we discussed together, I think the one that struck a deep chord in me was when Morita-san talked about her visit to the National Museum of Singapore and how she cried when she read about the Japanese Occupation in Singapore and how both parties suffered during the war. She then went on to explain that history is a very important subject which we need to impart to our next generation such that they can understand the past mistakes and reasons for success so that similar events would not occur again. I empathize with what she said.
Even though I have never been to the museum, I had studied Singapore history enough since primary school to appreciate what our ancestors have done and how much damage the World War II had brought to world. Even now, my grandfather, who had lived through the Occupation, still has a grudge against Japan and tells me how much he had suffered under the hands of the Japanese soldiers. Yet at the same time, the Japanese also suffered heavy losses during the war, especially so during the nuclear bomb attacks where the after-effects still could be felt even today. The reason we get the peace we have and the good international relationships nowadays is because all of these hardships remain in the minds of people, but past and present.
I believe that history is a very important tool for which the younger generation can understand how the peace and success we have was achieved by the works of our ancestors. Recently, I took a module that discussed the 700 years of Singapore’s history, which was very interesting as the compulsory history lessons we took in schools only stopped at Raffles great contribution to the founding of Singapore, and did not discuss the intriguing events before that.
History is a subject
翼の会のみなさんとの交流から学んだこと
During the interaction with the members of Tsubasa no Kai, we were given the opportunity to speak to two distinguished guests, Aritaka-san and Morita-san. Out of all the topics that we discussed together, I think the one that struck a deep chord in me was when Morita-san talked about her visit to the National Museum of Singapore and how she cried when she read about the Japanese Occupation in Singapore and how both parties suffered during the war. She then went on to explain that history is a very important subject which we need to impart to our next generation such that they can understand the past mistakes and reasons for success so that similar events would not occur again. I empathize with what she said.
Even though I have never been to the museum, I had studied Singapore history enough since primary school to appreciate what our ancestors have done and how much damage the World War II had brought to world. Even now, my grandfather, who had lived through the Occupation, still has a grudge against Japan and tells me how much he had suffered under the hands of the Japanese soldiers. Yet at the same time, the Japanese also suffered heavy losses during the war, especially so during the nuclear bomb attacks where the after-effects still could be felt even today. The reason we get the peace we have and the good international relationships nowadays is because all of these hardships remain in the minds of people, but past and present.
I believe that history is a very important tool for which the younger generation can understand how the peace and success we have was achieved by the works of our ancestors. Recently, I took a module that discussed the 700 years of Singapore’s history, which was very interesting as the compulsory history lessons we took in schools only stopped at Raffles great contribution to the founding of Singapore, and did not discuss the intriguing events before that.
History is a subject