Held on May 29, 2010

A message from Shota Otomo

I read your comments.

If I was able to give people a concrete understanding of what civil servants actually do, then my lecture was well worth it!

As a substitute for your feedback, here's just a short message!

When I was a senior in college, I did my teaching practice at my alma mater high school, and there's something my supervising teacher said to me that really stuck with me. (I actually had a teaching license at the time! (laughs))

One day, I wrote in my practical training journal, "I hope to be able to conduct lessons that will remain in the students' memories," and submitted it.

The returned journal entry read, "Teachers don't teach in order to leave a lasting impression on students. Whether or not something is memorable is simply a result of putting in their best effort."​

Even now, thinking about it again, I still believe that's true. If we apply this to the work of a civil servant, we don't work to be thanked. Nor do we work to do favors for others. Therefore, we're not "giving" anything. We put ourselves in the same position and think. I think the result of thinking together in this way is "thank you." I think this probably applies to other jobs as well, and I think that's what I meant by "empathy" in my lecture.

I apologize for the poor quality of this writing, but I wanted to express my gratitude for your feedback on the lecture...

Shota Otomo, Kurihara City Hall