There has been much soul-searching among the Japanese in recent years, following the collapse of the bubble economy and the recession it triggered. Economic woes aside, a crisis of confidence exists at the most fundamental level. People have come to doubt not only the ability of society as a whole, but also their own individual abilities. Even as we head into the 21st century, there is a widespread fear that Japan is falling behind, that the new millennium will present challenges that we will be unable to cope with. The future seems bleak.

How much of this pessimism is actually warranted is debatable. What interests me is the underlying cause of this lack of self-confidence and the corresponding fears for, or of, the future. The reason, I believe, is rooted in the very different approaches of the Japanese and Western mind toward the future.

For Westerners, reality exists on two levels. In addition to the real world, another distinct construct simultaneously exists, their personal concept of the ideal world -- we could call it their philosophy -- where "things are as they should be." The very reason for existence is to get as close as possible to this state of perfection, hence the importance of the future, since this perfect world can exist only at some point in time after the present.