As seen on the news, former President Trump was shot while giving a speech in Pennsylvania. He was wounded but not fatally, and instead three people were killed or injured in the tragic incident. The shooter’s intention is unclear at this point, but it seems likely that he was trying to bury Trump’s political ambitions as he gained momentum from gaining the upper hand in the debate with President Biden, which had taken place about three weeks earlier.

Coincidentally, I wrote about Mr. Trump in this column in March of this year under the title “Enthusiasm” and “Delusion.”* In this piece, I wrote that it is difficult to win an election by enumerating a long list of “common sense” political beliefs, but that one must repeat simple delusional phrases, which generates “enthusiasm” among the masses.

*From “Enthusiasm” and “Delusion,” published on March 1, 2024 in the CEO Column of the official Kamakura Shinsho website (https://www.kamakura-net.co.jp/en/vision/enthusiasm-and-delusion/)

However, the more the “enthusiasm” grows, the more the environment for “delusion” among the opposition is fostered. It is unclear whether this is what led to the recent incident. As it turned out, however, the attempt failed, and Trump was officially chosen as the Republican presidential candidate as planned. It remains to be seen what the outcome of the election will be, but it appears that the unity of Republican supporters has grown stronger as a result of the incident.

Now, there is a theme that interests me very much in the wake of this incident. Will this experience lead to any changes in Mr. Trump’s state of mind? The fact that the bullet grazed his ear means that if he had moved a few dozen centimeters, it could have hit him in the head, and put another way, this means it would have been no surprise if he had died and he was lucky to have survived.

Drilling further into this, I think the incident created an excellent opportunity for him to believe that he is being kept alive by some higher power, and that he should take that message to heart and live his life for the betterment of the world. I sincerely hope that he will be able to break away from a life (possibly) full of selfishness, refrain from using abusive language, learn about his own character, discover his mission, and recognize that the time has come to use the fortune and power given to him by a higher being for the benefit of the people.

The reason this came to my mind stems from an essay from then-Professor Jai Jaikumar that I read when I was young, in a book called “Remember Who You Are: Life Stories That Inspire the Heart and Mind”.

As a university student, the professor had a near-fatal accident when he slipped and fell while climbing the Himalayas. Luckily, a woman in the village found him and carried him for three days to a neighboring village. From there, he was put on the back of a donkey and traveled for two more days before finally reaching a doctor and surviving the accident.

MY PHYSICAL RECOVERY was rapid, but I could not stop thinking about my fall and the events in its immediate aftermath. Delivered from a moment of terrific hard-ship by pure chance, I was forced to consider the tremendous role that luck had long played for me both on and off that mountain. During my recuperation, I began to reflect on how fortunate I had been: lucky to have jumped to the right side of the cornice and survived, lucky to have walked in the right direction after my slide, lucky to have stumbled upon the hut and its magnanimous occupant, and lucky to recover as well as I did. Yet my good fortune was not limited to the weeks surrounding my fall; it extended instead back to the very earliest parts of my life: to my childhood, to the family who raised me, and to the education I had been privileged to receive. I realized that whatever success I had was born in my good fortune, and obligation was born in my own success.

Through this experience, he built a school in a remote area and established a system for children to receive an education. After moving to the United States and becoming a professor at Harvard University, he continued this work as his mission, building many schools and providing educational opportunities for children throughout his life.

WHILE MY PASSION for climbing led me to scale that one particular peak, my fall helped me reach much greater heights, shaping my outlook on the world, and leading me to the advice that I give to all of my students, and that I want to share with you.
(…）
Try to recognize your own advantaged position in the world, the “luck” given to you by a dedicated teacher or a loving parent. Above all, appreciate the respon-sibilities created when good fortune chose to smile upon you so abundantly.
Success is born in good fortune, and obligation is born in success. In creating luck for others, you yourself may reach the highest peak.

When I was young, I read this and was deeply moved by it, and committed myself to applying this advice to my own life as well. I don’t know how well I’m doing now, but I don’t think I’m off course, and I intend to keep going in this direction.

Witnessing this incident on video reminded me of Professor Jai Jaikumar’s message, “Success is born in good fortune, and obligation is born in success.” Oddly enough, it served as a good opportunity for me, and I can only hope that it also serves as a good opportunity for the US presidential candidate.

Hirotaka Shimizu
Chairman and CEO
Kamakura Shinsho, Ltd.

*All quotes are from “Remember Who You Are: 15 Harvard Professors Tell Life Stories That Inspire the Heart and Mind (Harvard Business Review Press, 2014).