Youkai come from the old Japanese animistic religion, and have appeared in Japanese history for over a millennium. They are believed to live in another dimension and said to be a kind of multitudinous gods. I think people have a good and bad side. As almost all people are self-centered, we are unconscious about our own weaknesses. We might keep the balance of our lives by seeing the objectivized Youkai in the festivals.
In recent years, terrorist attacks occur in many places. In Japan, many disabled people were killed by a mass murderer. The attacker justified his self-serving ideology, by saying that people with disabilities have no rights to live. He caused the case with his blind faith of his selfishness and killed 19 people and inflicted serious injuries on 26 people. November in 2015, the multiple acts of terror by ISII occurred in France, which 130 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured. Sadly, I think that people could kill innocent people in the name of justice when they believe it is right.
It isn’t a bad thing to be demure piety, however, it is sometimes dangerous to be blind to only one God. Even though I say so, I think we need some kind of religious devotion have a space for someone else. It helps us to think about others. We should recognize that everything has good and evil. Terrorist attacks, war, and mass murders occur in many places in the world. I wonder keeping the faith could stop those tragedies.
Youkai is now popular as a cute character in games. But Yokai is essentially the one who warns us about the evil spirit hidden in our hearts. When it appears in festivals, we all remind of his warnings. To feel and share the world with Youkai is important step for us for the future.
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