NASU Shoh
Vice Chairman
Keidanren
The "silent" majority -- which was once an important mass to determine the trend of public opinion -- is no longer silent. What can be the reason? These days, there is no end of fashionable keywords and catchphrases that people can readily adopt as they raise their voices. But even if we hear one fickle chorus after another, that is no cause to reject them as symptoms of social decay. Rather, these outbursts represent a stage in the evolution and transformation of society.
What are we to do then? I would suggest that those who stand apart -- call them naysayers, if you will -- should address the shrill majority by spelling out their ideas clearly and logically, rather than settling for convenient cliches. And we should be the first to break the silence and speak pragmatically to those around us, not to the abstract majority.
This is an age of uncertainty in politics, economy, society and many other spheres. As the buck is passed from one to another, blame is laid publicly at every door in the social hierarchy. But I do not mean to say that laymen should leave the solution to experts, for it is all too often the experts who fail to see the forest for trees. It is time for them to listen quietly and humbly.
Irresponsible comments and sound bites, without accumulated experience or thoughts, prompt raucous choruses placing obstacles in the way of ordinary people who work diligently at their many tasks. Instead of saying "put up or shut up," I would like to urge everyone to act first, then speak out. This is simply a matter of responsibility.
There is good reason for us business people to be warned against the flood of words these days. If proposals and policies were formulated without any consideration of the ways they will be interpreted, this inattention would leave people assuming they speak the same language, even though their thoughts and actions vary. Now more than ever, we should strive to build a useful agenda by using words with care, ensuring that each one refers to a specific objective, goal or measure, and to have a common understanding with people at large. In society today, this is the only way to create genuine consensus and avoid the misleading chorus.