The concept of mottainai is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. In 2005, Nobel prize-winning Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai revitalised mottainai’s sentiments by encouraging people to look beyond our throwaway culture and value each item independently, further reminding us of the well-known mantra of “reduce, reuse, recycle”, and adding a fourth R – “respect”.
Mottainai もったいない is an adjective that conveys sadness when something is wasted. It gives a feeling of guilt, regret, or sorrow. The emotion connected to the word is deeply entrenched in how the Japanese think. Mottainai can be translated as “What a waste!” However, nuances and a deep connection to Japanese culture cannot be captured in one English word or phrase – it is more than something going to waste.
Mottanai articulates the Buddhist idea that nothing exists on its own and everything exists because of the support given by other things. For example, a grain of rice left on our plate would not be there if it wasn’t for the effort and time of the farmer, the land, and the resources — that made it possible for the rice grains to appear on our plate eventually. Furthermore, we worked hard to earn money to purchase the grains of rice. Hence, mottainai also conveys a measure of humbleness and gratitude and that nothing should be taken for granted.
Mottainai expresses regret, guilt, or sorrow for something unable to reach its full potential, implying a desire to maximise its future. As a medical educationist and head of a clinical department, I was particularly concerned about facilitating students and speciality trainees to become what they could be. The literature is replete with ideas on self-actualisation – ideas on what it is and how to accomplish it. Similarly, it bemoans wasting time, resources, talent, and affection. I have selected some quotable quotes for your reflections:
Wasting Talent
Those who perceive themselves as poets, writers, sculptors, painters, musicians, and actors feel an obligation at the same time not to waste this talent but to develop it to serve their neighbour and humanity as a whole. – Pope John Paul II
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent; your choices will shape your life forever. – Chazz Palminteri
I have no exceptional talent. I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein
Without patience and a craftsman’s skill, even the most outstanding talent is wasted. – Orhan Pamuk
And my favourite – I heard it in a conversation is “Don’t waste your talent for hard work.” If the capacity for hard work is not talent, it is the best possible substitute for it. Regardless of our talent, we must work hard in the final analysis.
Wasting Time
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. – Bertrand Russell
Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. – Unknown
Don’t waste your time looking back; you’re not going that way. – Ragnar Lodbrok
If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of. – Unknown
Don’t waste your time with explanations; people only hear what they want to hear. – Paulo Coelho
Wasting Effort and Affection
Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. – Garrison Keillor
Don’t use a lot where a little will do. – Proverbs
Never waste your feelings on people who don’t value them. – Unknown
No act of kindness, however small, is wasted. – Aesop
Talk not of wasted affection – affection never was wasted. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
And to wrap things up, don’t treat ourselves too seriously, for a day without laughter is a day wasted (Charlie Chaplin), and the most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed (Nicolas Chamfort).
Mottanai encourages us not to waste our capacity to smile, laugh, enjoy, and love!
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
