スミマセン (sumimasen) - "Excuse me, I'm sorry."
Yusuke and his mother Mariko were different in just about every way possible, most of their differences stemming from their religious outlooks. Mariko was a devout Buddhist, Yusuke was an atheist, devoting all of his energies toward that most secular of professions, law. Where Mariko was patient and calm, Yusuke was quick to become angry and defensive.
They clashed all the time, though clash is not quite the right word. When she felt it was necessary, Mariko would gently point out an error in Yusuke's thinking or actions and the impetuous young man would lash out at her. "Oh, you don't like that? Surprise, surprise. Well, you know what? Sue me if you don't like it! Sue me, ma!"
Each time this happened--and it happened a lot--Mariko would patiently try to remind her son of the virtues of kindness and serenity by reciting a series of Buddhist koans that were especially suited to the situation at hand. However, years of smoking had taken their toll on Mariko and in her advanced years she wasn't able to produce the whole koan without becoming completely exhausted. Therefore, she took to simply saying, "Zen" in response to his constant invitations for her to sue him.
The whole routine quickly took on a broken record quality (at least in Yusuke's eyes) and soon Yusuke was responding for her with her own words before she got a chance to bore him with yet another reminder of the virtues of tranquility. Any time he thought she might be anything less than 100% satisfied with something he'd said or done, he would fly into a defensive rage that always ended with him all but screaming, "Sue me, ma," and then quickly adding, "Zen!"
In time, the severe Z sound shifted to the softer, gentler S, and the phrase's meaning also changed. Now, rather than being a mean-spirited jab at sarcasm, it is a genuinely heartfelt appeal for forgiveness used by people around Japan every day.
Please explain "word to your mother".
ReplyDeleteha! awesome. -lc
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