Charlie Brown

Charles Monroe Schulz has always been one of my favourite cartoonists. He told us wonderful stories about Charles Brown, whom I shall never forget.

One day, Charlie Brown lied on the bed, murmuring to himself, "Sometimes, I lie awake at night, and I ask, why me?"
Can you imagine how Charlie Brown comes up with the answer himself?
Then a voice answers, "Nothing personal… your name just happened to come up."

One can envisage ourselves engaging in these endless "why me" whines, grumbling and getting upset. And it is true that literally everything can go awry and end up chaotic in a very single person. During my recent trip to Japan, the departure flight had a great deal of delay because of typhoon. On my way back, alas, I could not catch the scheduled flight because of the three-hour Shinkansen train delay. Years ago, I would have complained and asked "why me." Today, the answer of Charlie Brown reminds me that, indeed, it isn't really anyone's fault – just a melodrama of errors, bad luck and poor weather. Come on, we all have bad days every once in a while and, as Charlie Brown said, there is nothing personal. It must have been my turn.