I'm almost finished with a book called "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword". It's a well known book that deals with, what the author believed to be a kind of Japanese dual 'essence'. Various Japanese authors (including Yukio Mishima) have cited this book as being influential. One of the major themes of the book is definitely the concept of on and associated ideas sich as chu, giri and gimu. In the post WWII world, the author seems to emphasize giri above the rest as THE Japanese motivating virtue. I can see this in the older generation. This book, however, was written in 1948. My question is, how much of these things (on, giri, etc.) do you think have been carried on to the current generation and is there any value still placed in these things? I ask this question, I think, because I am NOT seeing virtues of this kind displayed in the current generation. If these virtues have been lost, what have they been replaced with? What do you think?
rage