YouTube / iTunes / Spotify / Radio Public / Pocket Casts / Google Podcasts / Breaker / Overcast
Listen to ArtisanEnglish.jp posts & lesson intros here.
English Phrase: Go with the flow
You may think it’s easy to go with the flow, but sometimes it’s the hardest thing in the world.
If you go with the flow, you agree with everyone else and go along with what they say, decide, or do.
It sounds pretty easy.
I’ve been fortunate to have lived in Japan for quite an extended period.
I suppose there are thousands of foreigners out there who love Japan and envy me.
They would do almost anything to be able to stay in Japan because they love everything about the culture.
I bet if they had stayed here for an extended period, the honeymoon would wear off eventually.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way.
I love Japan, but some quirks of the culture get my goat.
For example, the Japanese tend to go with the flow to avoid conflict.
There have been many occasions when I was part of an indecisive group trying to choose a place to eat or drink.
A typical conversation would go like this.
A: どこ行きたい？
B: ま,どこでも。
A: 何食べたい？
B: なんでもええわ。
And on and on it went.
That drove me, and still drives me, C-R-A-Z-Y!
You see, I’m sort of between a type A and type B personality.
I’m not aggressive or hostile – I’m a nice guy, but I like to be in control, and I don’t have much patience with people who fool around and waste time.
I don’t go with the flow – I make the flow.
The time-consuming Japanese process of reaching a consensus and going with the flow is not my cup of tea.
I can understand it and accept it, but I can’t get used to it.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 78.
The higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100, the easier the passage is to read.