This may be sudden, but have you ever heard of the “Nagata Method” (Nagata Farming)? It is best known for producing fruit tomatoes, and the technique itself overturned conventional wisdom in a surprising way.
The method is to give tomato seedlings only the bare minimum of water, keeping them on the very edge of withering. Under those conditions, the crop is said to work hard to adapt and evolve on its own, and in the end it produces tomatoes with a strong sweetness and high nutritional value, which raises their market value.
Polyphenols, which are said to be good for the body (flavonoids, catechins, anthocyanins, isoflavones, and so on), are compounds that plants produce to protect themselves from the sun’s strong ultraviolet rays. The stronger the UV light is (that is, the harsher the environment is for the plant), the more concentrated these compounds become, and as a result the plant grows more vigorously.
Wheat offers another example. When the young shoots first appear, farmers deliberately trample them in a practice called mugifumi (“wheat treading”). This is a major stress for the wheat, but it makes the plant stronger and yields a bigger harvest in autumn.
Growing stronger through some form of stress applies to the human body as well. Muscles and bones grow larger and stronger when stress (load) is applied to them.
Likewise, playing in the mud as a child exposes us to plenty of germs, which trains the immune system and gives us a sturdy body that resists illness. Sweating a lot when young is also said to train the sweat glands, making us less prone to heatstroke even after we grow up.
The same is true of the human inner self (the mind). Experiencing a harsh environment toughens us inwardly, so that we develop a strong spirit that doesn’t buckle at minor setbacks and grow up resilient.
“Greenhouse-raised” plants that are overprotected and never exposed to stress are extremely vulnerable to environmental change, and even a little stress can ruin them right away.
The same goes for people. Those who experience stress from a young age grow into mentally resilient adults. But adults who grew up with little exposure to stress lack tolerance for it, so in the harsh world of work (the adult world) they are prone to mental illness, leading to depression, leaves of absence, social withdrawal, and even suicide. They may also become people who are hard to handle, as if they were something fragile to be tiptoed around. Because they were spared stress in childhood, they may end up suffering far more as adults.
That is why, if we wish for our children to grow up strong and resilient, I believe a certain amount of stress (being scolded, being corrected, being made to endure) is necessary.
Through the experience of being scolded and corrected, children learn how to behave within a group, and as adults they adapt to society.
Conversely, children who have never been scolded or corrected tend to grow into selfish adults who can’t fit in with groups, and when they face the harshness of society, both they and the people around them are likely to struggle greatly.
Of course, too much stress can ruin a person, so care is needed on that point. Even so, the proverbs “Send your beloved child on a journey” (let them experience hardship and a variety of things) and “Buy hardship in your youth, even if you have to pay for it” still carry real meaning.
by Taka