"Sheer futility," Quoheleth says. "Sheer futility: Everything is futile!"

As "son of David, king in Jerusalem" in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, Quoheleth could well have been talking about the state of politics in 21st century Japan instead of the state of existence in biblical times.

Futility is a terrible thing. To feel that everything is futile is probably the most dangerous of all mental conditions. It deprives people of the will to live. They stop caring. They become oblivious to their environment — its dangers, its pitfalls, its wonders, its brilliance. Everything becomes gray and indifferent.