It's really unfortunate
[player] That's really unfortunate.
[Joseph] Hahah! So you think that as well, eh? Seems like most people feel the same way.
Watching Joseph gently swipe the screen of his phone, it is like I can peer through time. I can perfectly imagine him carefully wiping those "trophies" in the past.
[Joseph] I consider every single thing in this photo to be a priceless treasure... And yet I gave them all away. Anyone would think I'm a fool.
[player] Don't talk about yourself like that, that's not true. I, and everyone who knows you, don't think you're stupid.
[player] I reckon, if you had a friend who really liked a particular object, you'd give it to them—as long as you knew they'd cherish it.
[Joseph] Oh! So am I quite a generous figure to you, friend?
[player] You're the same in your Mahjong play, even if there's a slight risk that you'll complete someone's hand. Mahjong reveals one's character.
[Joseph] Hahaha! You really do get me, my friend. Besides, I've had ample opportunity to enjoy the fruits of my labor. If I can share this joy with others, why not? There's nothing unfortunate about it.
[player] Well, maybe. But never mind monetary value, you've worked so hard to find every one of these objects. Saying that they are priceless would be an understatement. I imagine saying goodbye time after time to each of these must be tough...
[Joseph] Tough... Well, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a moment's hesitation when giving things away.
[Joseph] But it's good to give things to those who are worthy of being entrusted with them. And anyway, doing this prevents me from becoming possessed by possessions.
[player] Possessed?
...I rack my brain, but can't for the life of me understand what Joseph means by his strange remark.
[player] Being possessed by the treasures you own...? That's a strange thing to say. Surely you possess them, not the other way round?
[Joseph] Other people think I had an enviable collection of treasures that represented my past glory. But in reality, these treasures were slowly taking over my life. I could not bear to lose them, and could only let them multiply. At the worst, I had so many things that I could barely move around without stepping on something.
[player] That does sound like a hassle, having to always be mindful of where you walk. Or having to be careful in everything you do, really.
[Joseph] All that is only the physical aspect, too. The real trouble is the mental. You may find it hard to believe, but there was a brief period when I lost my passion for adventure.
[Joseph] Part of it was down to sheer physical exhaustion, but mostly it was due to waking up one day and finding the novelty of adventuring had worn off. I didn't know what to do, as everything seemed dull and drab.
[player] ...That is hard to imagine.
It's hard for people to visualize things they've never seen before, and I certainly can't imagine what this overwhelmingly positive and optimistic guy was like when depressed.
Joseph, tired of exploring...! Almost as believable as Jack and the Beanstalk.
[Joseph] Can't see it, right?! I had thought that nothing could ever make me tire of adventure, but the fact is, I spent almost a full year staying at home, doing nothing...
[Joseph] I felt completely lost during that time, with no idea what was wrong with me. The only thing I was sure of was that I was ill, and struggling with my mental health.
[Joseph] I saw a therapist several times, but their assessment of me came back as normal. Apart from losing my joie de vivre, my mood could be considered stable.
[Joseph] The therapist advised me to stop ruminating, and try to foster some other hobbies. While I could see the reason for this advice, I just didn't want to do it.
[Joseph] I got the stubborn idea into my head of wanting to identify what caused me to lose interest in adventure. I needed to know the reason, and bid a dignified farewell to the thing I used to love.
[Joseph] I was racking my brains to no avail, until one day an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time paid me a visit...
That afternoon, the two discussed adventures and travel while they ate. Although Joseph hadn't gone out for a while, and had only old stories to tell, it was still an eye-opening experience for his friend.
As they talked, Joseph pulled out a curiously-patterned ornament. His friend played around with it for a while, and seemed unable to put it down. Seeing that he couldn't tear himself away from it, Joseph simply gave it to him to keep.
His largess caused his friend to tease him, that he didn't care enough about his treasures to give them away so casually. But Joseph told him to treat it as an early birthday present, laughingly saying "Not so casual now, is it?"
Watching his friend leave, humming happily, he thought the little ornament looked even better hanging from his friend's waist.
[Joseph] When I chose to give that object away, it was no longer just an ornament, but a symbol of friendship. It looked even more dazzling with that added layer of meaning.
The last bit of Joseph's reluctance disappeared along with his friend. "There's nothing to regret. Who's to say there won't be something better, just around the corner?" Thinking this, his entire being somehow felt lighter.
[Joseph] And then suddenly—and I mean before I could blink—I had an epiphany.
[Joseph] I turned to look at my private collection of treasures, and found them oppressive. It's not like I suddenly detested them, but I had this incredible realization that my life had somehow been taken over by them.
He suddenly recalled the words of a somewhat dissolute gentleman in a book he had once read.
People only think of possessing, little realizing they are possessed.
While Joseph didn't appreciate this gentleman's cynical attitude, this was one saying which did somewhat resonate with him now.
Memories hinder the future, and allow the past to invade.
[Joseph] I knew one thing for sure... I needed to say a proper goodbye, for all the adventures yet to come.
And so it was that, after a sleepless night, Joseph began to go out with his treasures.
Some he gave to friends, while some he left in the street market for others to discover.
[Joseph] Value doesn't even come into it. Giving it away doesn't matter, so as long as it's to the right person. It's like that saying you have here, something about objects bound with people by fate.
Gradually, more and more space was cleared in his home, until it was practically empty.
[Joseph] This was definitely a difficult process. I asked myself on many occasions if I was being foolish.
[Joseph] But finally, as I surveyed the empty room, I felt that familiar fire come roaring over me, and knew it was all worthwhile... Fire, the fire that urged me to adventure, was blazing brightly once more...
He was no longer trapped by nostalgia, by all the "memories" attached to things, and his old haunts took on a different look in his eyes.
As for the new treasures? He gave most of them away to people he meet as a token of their friendship after sharing the adventure stories related to the treasures...
[Joseph] By not allowing myself to have anything, I can avoid comparing the past with the present. Only then is it possible for me to move forward.
[player] ...You mean, you can't get excited by finding new treasures if you keep the old ones, because you'll have something similar in your collection already?
[Joseph] That's just it. Treasure-hunting was my motivation for adventuring. I don't want personal issues to cost my passion for finding treasure or respect for nature—to me, that's the height of arrogance. I had to find a way to keep myself hungry, and turn that hunger into action.
[Joseph] There's no way I can treat everything as truly unique, so can only use the somewhat clumsy "farewell" method. This helps me view the treasures at hand as unique as possible, so that every serendipitous encounter is full of excitement and surprise.
After hearing such profoundly heartfelt words, I feel like now I really know this man in front of me...
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