Now, when I entered elementary school and started paying attention to the world, the Vietnam War was happening. The teacher who taught my first-grade class said that American soldiers were killing children in a gruesome way, so I firmly believed that I could never forgive America. As I'll mention later, Elwood, a Vietnam veteran I met during a blues jam session in Las Vegas, couldn't bring himself to talk about what he did in Vietnam. He said that if I did, You wouldn't believe him anymore.

After school, I used to play with my childhood friend, doing crafts and other activities. I also watched a lot of animated shows and superhero series on TV. I loved drawing pictures, too. Among movies, "Small Love Melody," which I watched with my mother, left a strong impression on me.

By the way, I was really bad at math. When my father saw my math test results, he was at a loss. He tried to teach me, but I just couldn't understand. He would turn bright red, lean forward, and get angry. Seeing this, my father got scared, and then I would cry. My father, being highly intelligent and well-read, seemed unable to comprehend someone like me, an ordinary person.

In 1972, my younger brother was born. Around that time, I attended swimming school. However, I didn't like being loudly coached, so I used to pass time in the sauna or hide in the restroom. Even now, I don't like swimming in pools. It's boring.

During this period, I ran away from home twice. The first time, I only got about 500 meters away from home, got scared, and returned. However, the second time, I was determined to go through with it. I made it about 500 meters away and befriended a classmate from the same elementary school.

We were playing together, rolling down the embankment near the baseball field, when my mother, returning from shopping, found us. She scolded me for getting my clothes so dirty and we went home. However, the second time I ran away was fun. The freedom of being away from home. I realized my early maturity in that moment.

Furthermore, I attempted suicide. My mother told me to clean up the completed toy blocks and come eat, but I didn't respond. This happened twice, and I felt frustrated. In my anger, I picked up a plug with my right thumb and forefinger and inserted it into the socket. It was dangerous when I used both hands.

In 1969, there was the music festival Woodstock, and in 1972, the seventh anniversary of the Watts Riots that occurred in Los Angeles in 1966, Watts Stax was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the Watts area.

Watts Stax was a soul music festival held in Los Angeles, gathering 100,000 black people. It's also known as Black Woodstock. Isaac Hayes, who performed last, was amazing, but my personal favorite is The Staple Singers' "Respect Yourself."