The Book of Life

In this world, the secret of success is contentment and gratitude. This is exactly what the above saying describes as “second best.” Accepting the second best does not mean putting yourself down. It means beginning with what is practical. Very often, those who accept the second-best option at the initial stage often pave the way for the firstbest later on. However, those who refuse to settle for anything less than perfection early on often end up losing both the second-best and the first-best. ACCEPTING REALITY I n World War II, Japan was defeated by the United States. In April 1945, American troops landed in Japan. General Douglas MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan, where he remained until 1951. Under his guidance, Japan’s new constitution was drafted and passed by the Japanese assembly on November 3, 1946. This constitution reduced the emperor of Japan to the status of a symbolic ruler. Article 9 declared that the Japanese nation would never again maintain an army, navy, or air force, nor make any military preparations of any kind: Land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained (Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 10, p. 87).