Akari Hayasaka, G10早坂明莉

Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling down, you have a special longing for the seaside? I certainly have. Whenever my mood turns sour, my first instinct is to go to the sea. I am drawn to its vastness and profound depth. There, I take a deep breath of the slightly salty, briny air, feeling it course through me, as if I could touch a sense of infinite freedom.

On one particular gloomy day, I found myself back at the coast. The sea breeze tangled my hair as I watched the diverse crowd around me. People from all walks of life were scattered along the shore, each lost in their own world — some laughing joyfully, others wearing thoughtful expressions.

Just then, a friend sent me a message: “Why is it that you always want to go to the seaside when you’re upset?” I struggled to find the words to explain. Out of curiosity, I turned to DeepSeek, a large language model that seems to know it all.

Its response was insightful. It suggested that when we are sad and drawn to the ocean, it’s not because the sea “heals” us.

Rather, the sea acts like a mirror — it magnifies, externalizes, and safely absorbs our emotions. It doesn’t try to “correct” us. Its silent message is, “It’s alright to feel sad.” It doesn’t pressure us to take immediate action or burden us with the task of “getting better by tomorrow.”

Being permitted to feel and express our true emotions is the highest form of emotional tax exemption. Therefore, it’s not that “looking at the sea” makes us feel better; it’s that in the presence of the sea, we finally give ourselves permission to remove our masks and be “faithful to ourselves.”

As the setting sun cast its golden glow over the water, the interweaving ripples seemed to mirror the emotions within me. The sea was silent, yet it embraced me with its profound serenity, granting me peace and hope.

In that moment, I felt I had become part of the sea, and my soul was truly liberated. This profound revelation — that I can be my true self without judgment — will stay with me, empowering me to face the coming waves of life.