Reflection. Many posts suggest that Hansei is a Japanese philosophy. We practice It very often, with sessions at the end of the year being typical. We also ask for it whenever we have problems or after a project.
However, Hansei did not likely originate in Japan. It is probably from ancient China. When the Western philosophy of “reflection” arrived, Chinese or Japanese translated it as Hasei.
This does not mean that some form of “reflection” did not exist before the concept arrived. Both symbols used for Hansei have the meaning of “Reflection,” but with different nuances.
Han【反】 means;
1️⃣ Reverse
2️⃣ Repeat
3️⃣ Return
4️⃣ Reflect
5️⃣ Disobey
This symbol originates from 【厂】, which signifies a cliff. The other component, 【又】, resembles the shape of a hand. Therefore, the symbol illustrates the constant pressure of a cliff, while the hand represents the force applied to repel it. From this shape, it started to mean in many ways.
Regarding "reflection,” this symbol signifies, above all, continuous reflection. It is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. It is not an activity to conduct at the end but something to be done as we take action.
The second is reflection, which is looking back to understand whether things went well. The shorter the time, the better the reflection. Our memory is biased, which might not help us reflect. Frequent, short-term reflection helps us understand the cause of the result, which allows us to reflect better.
Lastly, this is a reflection on a challenging or high-pressure situation. Your hand is on the cliff, or you are pushing against it. Your circumstances are certainly not ideal. How did you handle such a situation? More importantly, why were you in that position? Understanding these situations is crucial for reflection. Connecting these moments with your past actions encourages deeper reflection.
The second symbol, Sei【省】, means to reflect.
It has other meanings, such as eliminating or reducing. Such usage is used in TPS as “Shouryoku” or “Shoujin.” However, that is because such a meaning came with a similar symbol, which merged with this symbol. Therefore, the meaning of reflection is the primary one.
The upper part of this symbol, 【少】, comes from the shape of a sprout. And the lower part, 【目】, is the eyes. The pronunciation “Sei” comes from pure and clean. Such combinations create this symbol, which provides additional insights into what “reflect” means.
First, the sprout represents growth, so this reflection is about growth: “Did I grow?” If we don’t reflect on our growth, we won't grow. The sprout, like any human, has the natural capability to grow. The sprouts grow from the environment. Our growth comes from good reflection; we need an environment that allows such reflection.
Second, with the combination of the eye and pure, this reflection is about observing with a clear mind. If we didn’t grow, we didn’t see ourselves with a clear mind. We didn’t observe or think with a pure mindset. “I am not bad. It's always the others.” If we start the reflection with such bias, nothing will come out. It's just a blaming game. Reflection is about understanding its growth and comes from observations with pure eyes.
In Confucianism, this Sei【省】 is used as 【三省】, which means to reflect three times a day on three things.
Did I sincerely respond to the questions from the others?
Did I respond to the trust of my friends?
Did I tell someone information that I did not understand?
If I change the friend to a colleague or stakeholder, these are questions that I can apply today in business. This “three” has a nuance of “repeat,” which makes it close to Hansei.
So Hansei, the word has much wisdom.
1️⃣ Continuous reflection of a problem by looking into what has happened in the past.
2️⃣ Reflection on the growth by observing with a pure eye.
Please have a great Hansei, and let’s make more Kaizen.
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