On Saturday, January 24, a special lecture titled “The Lesson of Life — What Does It Mean for Life to Shine?” was held for junior high school students.

We welcomed Dr. Tomotaki, a physician working at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Kyoto University Hospital, as the guest speaker. Dr. Tomotaki has also been involved in the production of the medical drama “Kounodori”, and shared invaluable insights drawn from firsthand experience in medical settings where life is confronted every day.

During the lecture, Dr. Tomotaki introduced scenes from Kounodori while interweaving real-life experiences from the NICU, conveying the realities of medical care where lives are at stake. Through various cases—including babies born weighing less than 500 grams, babies born with disabilities, and babies who were unable to live long after birth—students were invited to reflect deeply on questions such as “What is a disability?” and “What does it mean for life to truly shine?”

Dr. Tomotaki also emphasized that each student was born as a result of important decisions made by their parents, and shared a powerful message: every one of you is already someone precious to another person, and in the future, you will become someone precious to people you have not yet met.

In addition, the lecture highlighted that in the NICU, not only doctors but also nurses and many other medical professionals work together as a team, devoting themselves wholeheartedly to supporting each individual life.

Throughout the approximately one-hour lecture, students listened intently, absorbing the weight and value of life as something deeply personal. After the talk, many students actively asked questions, showing their desire to express the thoughts and feelings that had emerged through deep reflection.

This lecture became a truly irreplaceable opportunity for each student to reconsider the meaning of their own existence and to appreciate the preciousness of being alive.