知性の仮面 ― 空虚に気づかない人たち｜The Mask of Intelligence: How Lightness Replaces Depth in Modern Japan

In today’s Japan, “intelligence” no longer means thinking deeply or wrestling with contradictions. Instead, it has become the ability to stay light—laughing quickly, avoiding conflict, and keeping conversations smooth. This cultural shift replaces pain with humor, silence with tempo, and conviction with clever detachment. Many people live behind a “mask of intelligence,” unaware of the emptiness beneath because rhythm keeps them distracted. This episode explores why modern society fears silence, why everything becomes a joke, and how true intelligence begins only when we face the discomfort of emptiness. Only those who recognize their inner void can approach real human depth and empathy.