murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood

have to otherwise. The land was a donation. They created a
corporation for the purpose. The whole place used to be the donor's
summer home about 20 years ago. You saw the old house, I'm sure?"
I said I had.
"That used to be the only building on the property. It's where they did
group therapy. That's how it all got started. The donor's son had a
tendency towards mental illness and a specialist recommended group
therapy for him. The doctor's theory was that if you could have a
group of patients living out in the country, helping each other with
physical labour and have a doctor for advice and check-ups, you could
cure certain kinds of sickness. They tried it, and the operation grew
and was incorporated, and they put more land under cultivation, and
put up the main building five years ago."
"Meaning, the therapy worked."
"Well, not for everything. Lots of people don't get better. But also a
lot of people who couldn't be helped anywhere else managed a
complete recovery here. The best thing about this place is the way
everybody helps everybody else. Everybody knows they're flawed in
some way, and so they try to help each other. Other places don't work
that way, unfortunately. Doctors are doctors and patients are patients:
the patient looks for help to the doctor and the doctor gives his help to
the patient. Here, though, we all help each other. We're all each other's
mirrors, and the doctors are part of us. They watch us from the
sidelines and they slip in to help us if they see we need something, but
it sometimes happens that we help them. Sometimes we're better at
something than they are. For example, I'm teaching one doctor to play
the piano and another patient is teaching a nurse French. That kind of
thing. Patients with problems like ours are often blessed with special
abilities. So everyone here is equal - patients, staff - and you. You're
one of us while you're in here, so I help you and you help me." Reiko
smiled, gently flexing every wrinkle on her face. "You help Naoko
and Naoko helps you."
117