Source: Bertrand Russell: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap. 15：Impersonal interests
More info.： https://russell-j.com/beginner/HA26-030.HTM
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The average life expectancy of Japanese people was 42 years for men and 43 years for women in 1923 (Taisho 12 nen), but by 2024, it has increased to 81.09 years for men and 87.14 years for women. Given such a significant increase in life expectancy, one might expect people to have more leeway and become less focused on short-term results. However, the reality appears to be the opposite.
In the past, both goods and information were limited, meaning that stimuli for human desires were also relatively scarce compared to today. Now, however, a vast and diverse array of goods and information is supplied in large quantities every day, continuously stimulating people's desires. Many of these things cannot be obtained or enjoyed without money, which naturally leads people to take an interest in opportunities for instant wealth, such as stocks or lotteries.
The mass media constantly show us images of the wealthy enjoying their lives. However, since most people cannot join the ranks of the rich, frustration among the general public continues to build. Politicians need to address this frustration and promote public happiness through policies. Unlike during Japan's high-growth era, however, this is now almost impossible.
As a result, it becomes necessary to divert public dissatisfaction away from the government and politicians. The quickest and easiest way to do this is by stirring up hatred toward a hypothetical enemy nation. Which country is chosen as the hypothetical enemy depends on the politician’s stance?some target China, others South Korea, and others North Korea, while some consider all three to be enemy nations. Few people regard the United States as a hypothetical enemy, and almost no one does so with Australia. Could this, too, be a form of "hatred toward those who are closest"?
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