Passage Content
「まじめさ」というものはある意味で危険です。というのは、まじめな人ほどよく悩むからです。まじめな人間は、他人からの「期待」に応えようとして悩むのですね。他人からの「期待」といっても、それは明文化(注）されていません。私たちは幼少のころから、「いい子」になりなさい、「立派な人」になれと言われ続けてきました。だが、どういう子が「いい子」なのか、はっきりしません。無口でおとなしい子が「いい子」とされたり、逆に自分の意見を堂々主張できる子が「いい子」とされたり、そのたびに違います。だから、そのような「期待」に応えることはむずかしい。そのむずかしい「期待」に応えようとして、まじめな子が悩むのです。
Reference translation
English
In a sense, "seriousness" is dangerous. This is because the more serious a person is, the more they tend to worry. Serious people worry because they try to meet the "expectations" of others. Even though we speak of "expectations" from others, they are not explicitly written down. Ever since we were young, we have been told to be "good children" and to become "respectable adults." However, it is not clear what kind of child is considered a "good child." Sometimes a quiet, gentle child is seen as a "good child," while at other times a child who can confidently assert their own opinion is considered a "good child"—it varies every time. Therefore, it is difficult to meet such "expectations." It is precisely because they try to meet these difficult "expectations" that serious children worry.
Multiple Choice Questions (1)
Question 1筆者によると、「期待」に応えることはむずかしいのはなぜか。
