Regarding the May 25 editorial "Challenge of a lifetime, again": A hearty congratulations to the fabulous Yuichiro Miura. I had been following his news, and it is wonderful to know that the 80-year-old scaled Mount Everest for the third time.
As the editorial mentions, it is a great lesson for everyone, especially Japan, that people can be so productive even at an advanced age. This could help lead to a new society in Japan, where the elderly can be highly useful to society, not just as volunteers or speakers at local gatherings.
Miura's adventure has, in my opinion, another splendid lesson for us: It is not the mindless number of hours we work that wins the day, but rather having a precise goal with proper planning and preparation, along with the mental strength or willpower for the actual performance.
Confidence comes from methodical preparation, and overconfidence is quelled by the knowledge of one's limitations. As my economics teacher wrote in my autograph book when I graduated from junior high school, "Proper preparation prevents poor performance. (P. Kelkar)." I couldn't put it any better!
Hats off to Miura and best wishes always!
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.