Love is "the posture of seeking to be liked." It is less about understanding, and more about flowing together. - Ryota Shiomi, Yo-bo-ya

Domestic honey is in crisis.

Mr. Shiomi described the current situation as a "disaster."

Between diseases, environmental changes, and distribution systems, the bees seem to be continuing to dwindle amidst a complex flow that cannot be reduced to simple right and wrong.

Yet, he never blames anyone.

Before seeking to assign blame, he always looks at the "flow" first.

"It's not right to report the facts only for someone to become the villain."

The world is more interconnected than that, and if we judge things based solely on the single point of "the present," we end up overlooking what is truly important.

Trying to make someone understand is not love

The philosophy of love that Mr. Shiomi speaks of is very simple yet profound.

"Love is not about 'making someone understand'."

"I believe it's about having them come to like you."

When we communicate something to others, a strong desire to be "understood" often arises.

But the moment that happens, a dynamic is created where we become frustrated with the person who "didn't understand."

When that understanding doesn't land, the sender feels sadness, and the receiver may feel as though they are being blamed.

Mr. Shiomi very quietly rejects that cycle.

"If they have come to like you, even if their understanding is mistaken, the essence is right."

The feeling of "liking" something is in itself a "readiness to affirm the other." It is not something that grows in the head, but rather something that grows naturally within the flow.

Honey, beekeeping, people, and love are all "in the flow"

Mr. Shiomi says that having a family changed the timeline of his world significantly.

"My world is no longer self-contained. I have naturally begun to think about the future that this child will live in."

Words like "organic" and "pesticide-free" are merely entry points; perhaps the essence is "handing over a better flow to the next generation."

The "will" to improve the flow.

It is that very will that creates action, leading to the future of the bees and the future of humanity.

Honey production is the same.

Avoiding antibiotics, embracing nature, and respecting the vitality of the bees.

Looking at the flow, rather than efficiency.

Seeking continuity, rather than instant results.

As I listened to him, I felt that this very stance was Mr. Shiomi's way of loving.

When "being liked" is the goal, love becomes free

Understanding can be forced upon others.

However, "liking" cannot be forced.

To be liked, one must match the other's pace and leave it to the other's way of feeling.

"If they like you, it doesn't matter if their interpretation is wrong. Isn't that where love resides?"

Making someone understand comes with conditions. Being liked comes with freedom.

You could say Mr. Shiomi’s love is not born from "correctness," but from letting others know him.

In closing: Love is not about correctness, but about sharing the flow

In the world of honey, there is the time of nature, the time of flowers, and the time of bees.

There is a tranquility in Mr. Shiomi’s words—something like a "natural rhythm"—that comes from working within that flow.

Love is not forcing correctness, nor is it compelling understanding;

"It is creating a flow where the feeling of 'liking' can be born naturally."

That is a love directed toward living creatures, people, and the future alike.

I feel like I finally understand why Mr. Shiomi’s honey always has such a soft, gentle flavor.