[Book] The Chrysanthemum and the Sword - p.2

Giri to one's name or clearing one's name, explanation for high pressure and great number of people commit suicide when dealing with pressure situation. Competition is not always the best way for people to get improved, or at least in Japanese case. Some can't bear the pressure, and humiliation of being failed; and they choose to end up their life as way of running away from public's judge. "American condemnation of suicide makes self-destruction only a desperate submission to despair, but the Japanese respect for it allows it to be an honorable and purposeful act. In certain situations it is the most honorable course to take in giri to one's name. "(pp.166) Mostly all the religions discourage and take it as desperately act when somebody want to kill himself. Under deep impact of Buddhist - Zen, I wonder what's their opinion about one's end up life unnaturally?

Beside, again the idea of everybody supposed to be in his proper person, knowing what they should know and doing what they supposed to do. For instance, as a student, your supposed to learning knowledge; for a teacher, you supposed to be master in your subjects; for a worker, you supposed to work in working time. If not, then you're failed; and it's better to find a way to clear one's name insult. It's make me thinking of one's sense of responsibility. It's clearly a government officer definitely will admit if having made a seriously mistake policy which cause negative consequence to people. Retirement will also been announced right away as an apologize. For me, it's really ridiculous if one sentence written like "if there's any mistake, the responsibility will absolutely belong to all the people". Who are the people and what did they take part in the decision making part? 

Japanese is even more brilliant with ostrich technique to avoid the shame situation, means sometime people take their action in anonymous status. Quite an interesting example described: "boys may visit girls at night...girls can either accept or reject their advances, but the boy wears a towel bound about his face so that if he is rejected he need feel no shame next day. The disguise is not to prevent the girl from recognizing him; it is purely an ostrich technique so that he will not have to admit that he was shamed in his proper person.(pp.157) ". It's sound cute and funny for a love story. However, does it mean that in official working case, if I'm not get caught when I, under my name, did wrong thing, then it's not a big deal.