Recently, I’ve been watching a Japanese period drama called ‘Hana Moyu’ (Burning Flower in English), set in the time of samurais and war lords fighting for their ideals and willing to die for it. It’s stirred up some strong emotions in my heart and has made me reflect on the qualities which seem lost and almost non-existent in our modern day world. Loyalty, sincerity, bravery – heroic deeds and actions which were a norm in the olden days, aspirations of a generation that has long passed on and dissapeared.
I wonder to myself, do these qualities only appear in moments of chaos and strife? Perhaps wars don’t only bring adversities to the world, but instead gives birth to pure qualities of the human spirit which don’t surface until one is tested with hardship.
Peace is a beautiful thing, but it also makes one complacent and builds a shell of protection that we fear to lose, and as such creates a bubble we envelop ourselves in, a thin veil that filters the realities of life and numbs us to the suffering of the world.
What is the difference between a samurai wiling to die for his belief and a militant that blows himself up for his ideal? Of course one is considered honorable and the other pure evil. But opinions change depending on which side you stand on. A hero for one, is an enemy for another. But there is one thread that binds these two very different ideals – is that injustice breeds action. Whether it be heroic or desperate, in the end the human spirit will find a way to express itself when oppressed.
We need more loyalty, sincerity and bravery in the world, and hopefully qualities which are born out of true ideals and not out of pain and hatred.
Life tip of the day: You don’t have to be a hero. The little things you do are enough if you do it with sincerity and kindness.
Image source: Grinning-oni (poster of Akira Kurosawa’s 7 Samurai)
All I need in Life 
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