節目を大切にすること、特に晩節を汚さないことの重要性は、古来より多くの賢人たちによって説かれてきました。政治家や会社の役員を見ていると、出処進退がいかに大切であり、また難しいことであるかがよくわかります。「処」とは世の中に出ず、家にとどまることを意味し、「出処進退」は役職を辞して退くことを意味します。
出世し、努力の末に役職に就くと、自ら辞することは人情として難しいものです。しかし、後進に道を譲り、自分の潮時を潔く決断することが求められます。ダグラス・マッカーサー元日本占領下の総司令官は、引退演説の最後に次のように述べました。
「老兵は死なず。ただ消え去るのみ。」
（Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.）
ウエストポイント士官学校で歌われていたバラードの一節を引用したものであり、これは「年老いたら老醜をさらす前に、後進に道を譲り消え去る」とも解釈できます。
元歌の歌詞は次の通りです。
Old soldiers never die, never die, never die,
never die. Old soldiers never die.
They just fade away.
Young soldiers wish they would, wish they would,
wish they would.
Young soldiers wish they would, wish they’d fade
away.
このバラードは、「若い兵士は、老兵が消え去ることを願う」と歌い、老兵として消え去ることは、幾多の戦場で任務を果たし生き延びたことを称えています。マッカーサーは、自らの義務を果たし無事最期を迎えたことを誇らしく述べたのでしょう。
いずれにしても、晩節の身の振り方は大切です。400年前の中国の『菜根譚』にも「晩節を全うする」という言葉があります。
「日既に暮れて、而も烟霞絢爛たり。歳将に晩て、而も更に橙橘芳馨たり。故に末路晩年は、君子更に宜しく精神百倍すべし。」
つまり、日は既に暮れようとも、夕映えに煙や霞が美しく輝いて見える。年の暮れでも橙やみかんは良い香りを放ち清々しい。だからこそ、君子は晩年になると、今まで以上に精神を磨き、人間として百倍良くなるべきである、と。
「終わりよければ全て良し」とは、このことでしょう。人間の真価が問われるのは、晩節です。古今の偉大な人物たちは、地位・名誉・富貴を求めるのではなく、義を以って命に処し、命を以って義を害さないのです。
我が国では、明治時代まで隠居入道という思想がありました。適当な年齢になると現役を退き、道に入ることが求められました。権力の座や支配的立場、指導的立場にしがみつくのではなく、後進に道を譲り、隠居入道して真実の生活を送ることが大切だったのです。
例えば、平清盛は浄海入道、武田晴信は磯山信玄、上杉輝虎は不識庵謙信と名を変えました。未練がましい評論家である吉田兼好も同様です。
高齢化社会において、定年の延長が叫ばれていますが、真実の人生のために、真・善・美・聖の調和が取れ、成熟した晩節を迎えたいものです。
「老兵は死なず。ただ消え去るのみ。」
（Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.）
この言葉のように、私たちも自分の役目を全うし、潔く消え去る覚悟を持つことが、真の成熟した人生を送るために必要です。
The Importance of Honoring Milestones and Not Tarnishing One’s Final Days
The importance of honoring milestones, especially not tarnishing one’s final days, has been emphasized by many wise individuals throughout history. Observing politicians and company executives highlights how crucial and challenging the concept of “shusshoshintai” (the proper timing of one's exit) truly is. “Shusho” means to stay at home without venturing into the world, and “shintai” signifies retiring from a position.
Achieving success and attaining a high position through hard work makes resigning voluntarily difficult for anyone. However, it is essential to yield the way to successors and decisively recognize one’s own time to step down. General Douglas MacArthur, the former Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the occupation of Japan, concluded his retirement speech with the following words:
“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
This phrase, quoted from a ballad sung at West Point Military Academy, can be interpreted as suggesting that before showing the ugliness of old age, one should yield the way to successors and quietly disappear.
The original lyrics of the song are as follows:
Old soldiers never die, never die, never die,
Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
Young soldiers wish they would, wish they would,
wish they would.
Young soldiers wish they would, wish they’d fade away.
This ballad sings, “Young soldiers wish that old soldiers would fade away.” This means that “fading away as an old soldier” honors those who have completed their missions and survived many battles. MacArthur probably proudly stated that he had fulfilled his duty and met his end peacefully.
In any case, how one conducts oneself in the final stages of life is crucial. About 400 years ago, in the Chinese text “Cai Gen Tan,” there is a phrase, “maintaining one's integrity in the final years.”
“When the day is already fading, the evening glow still shines brilliantly. When the year is drawing to a close, the oranges and tangerines emit a pleasant fragrance. Therefore, in their later years, noble people should further enhance their spirit, becoming a hundred times better.”
This means that even if the day is ending, the evening haze and mist glow beautifully. Though the year is ending, oranges and tangerines emit a refreshing fragrance. Thus, noble people should improve their spirit and become better than ever in their later years.
The phrase “All’s well that ends well” captures this sentiment. The true value of a person is tested in their final days. Great figures of the past did not seek position, fame, or wealth throughout their lives. “A noble person deals with fate by following what is right and does not harm their conscience for the sake of profit.”
In other words, no matter what kind of fate a noble person encounters, they face it with a clear conscience and do not harm their conscience for personal gain.
In Japan, until the Meiji era, there was the idea of “retirement into the path of enlightenment.” Upon reaching an appropriate age, people would retire from active roles and enter the path of truth, literally and figuratively. Clinging to power, dominant positions, or leadership roles prevents the growth of successors and often leads to unfavorable outcomes. In the past, at the age of forty, individuals would hand over their positions to younger generations and retire into a true, meaningful life.
By stepping away from the fray, one could view the larger picture objectively and see the truth and the ideal state of things. It was crucial to pass on one’s knowledge and wealth to successors. For instance, Taira no Kiyomori became Jokai Nyudo, Takeda Harunobu became Isei Shingen, and Uesugi Terutora became Fusakian Kenshin. Even the sentimental critic Yoshida Kenko followed this path.
In this aging society, with calls for extending retirement age, we should aspire to a mature final stage of life, where truth, goodness, beauty, and sanctity are in harmony.
“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
Just like this phrase, we too should fulfill our roles and be ready to gracefully fade away, having lived a truly mature and meaningful life.