Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.
~ Izumi Shikibu, "Although the wind ... ," translated by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani, from THE INK DARK MOON.
One becomes an active participant in the world when he or she believes in something. Faith, optimism, and hope—we have to have those things as human beings; otherwise, life is unbearable because there is nothing that we can see beyond ourselves.