A comforting message from an old friend.

"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship." - Buddha

I sent an e-mail wishing happy birthday to a good friend of ours. My husband and I were roommates with him back in our college days. Currently, he is living in Osaka, Japan, traveling quite often, but his wife and kids are living in Tokyo. We saw him and his family after we evacuated to Osaka a year ago.

I found out that he and his family will be living overseas from this coming October this month due to his job assignment. I was happy to hear that and also his e-mail response relieved me. His reply was as follows:

でも、○○達が罪悪感を感じる必要はまったくないよ。
人は与えられた人生の中で、それぞれ価値観に基づいて、その時その時に最善の選択をして、幸せを求めるだけ。
それがその人にどんな人生を開くかは、誰にも分からないし、誰の責任でもないよ。

There is no need for you guys to feel guilty.

People have to pursue their happiness and decide at each point of time 
what is best for themselves based on what they value in their life. 

What life has in store, no one knows, and it is no one's responsibility.

We recently have been receiving similar e-mails from several of our good friends. I have started to realize that I cannot be responsible for all of our friends' lives and their happiness. It is too grandiose to even think that way.

All our friends in Japan, they are doing what they can within their control. I respect all of our friends' decisions like they respect our's.

To all my friends in Japan, I just want you to know that we will do whatever it takes to support you, and you guys have an option whenever you decide to do so. We are more than happy to return to our happier poor college student days when we had many roommates, if it means we all can be safe, once again.