This phrase was written by Japanese poet and calligrapher AIDA Mitsuo and has often been quoted during the Covid-19 mask turmoil. AKUTAGAWA Ryunosuke wrote the novel “The Spider’s Thread,” which focused on the essence of humanity in extreme situations. It’s the story of a man who fell into hell and had a chance to go to paradise, but only thought about saving himself and ended up returning to hell. There are some alternative versions of the phrase, “Competition causes scarcity, while sharing leads to abundance,” in which the words “scarcity” and “abundance” have been switched for the following: “Competition causes fights, while sharing leads to peace of mind,” “Competition causes hate, while sharing leads to joy,” “Competition causes dissatisfaction, while sharing leads to gratitude,” “Competition causes war, while sharing leads to peace” and “Competition causes hell, while sharing leads to paradise.” This phrase applies not only to individuals, but also to nations. When the Lehman brothers scandal broke, some American people cried “greedy” and raised placards, occupying Wall Street. As we struggle with all sorts of issues in the modern era, such as income inequality, immigrant exclusion, racial discrimination and territorial disputes, this phrase could work as a warning. In article 14 of the Japanese constitution, it is written that: “All citizens are equal under the law, and not discriminated against according to race, belief, gender, social status….” Aida Mitsuo also left this phrase: “Other people have rulers with different measurements from mine, so each judges the size of things differently.”