How much can you learn from a movie?
I picked up watching TV recently. That’s right, I do sit in front of the TV and watch a show now. It is a revolutionary change in my routine.
With so many options, how do you decide what to watch? I scrolled down the list of all movies chronologically, and if the rating is reasonably good on Google, I give it a go.
I ended up watching ’13 Assassins’ recently:
It is set in the 1800s, where a group of samurai led by Shimada Shinzaemon secretly plot to assassinate Lord Matsudaira Naritsugu on his way to be appointed to the Shogunate Council. They must prevent that from happening because this guy is completely insane and totally murderous!
The trailer begins with this:
War is not about who is right. It is about who is left. — Ancient Samurai Quotation
Spoiler, but none much left in the end! So much for the Samurai quote.
Your total devotion can be a total tragedy
I am impressed by the singlemindedness of the samurai. Unfortunately, many times such singlemindnessness is for the wrong cause. Lord Naritsugu’s samurai, Hanbei, were taken aback a few times by his master’s clear madness, yet his heart was set. He was set on serving a crazy man with all loyalty, he persisted on because he believes that is his calling in life, that’s what makes him who he is, else his life is pointless.
When you devote your life to the wrong cause wholeheartedly, isn’t that a total tragedy?
But they call it honor and believe that is the only kind of life worth living. We are indeed created to live for a cause greater than ourselves. It makes us feel alive. We are eager to give ourselves to something greater beyond ourselves, we are created for worship.
At the start of the assassins recruitment, some even begged to be used. They pleaded for the privilege of giving their life totally for the cause.
What total devotion. I don’t see this much nowadays. In anything.
The brutality is but my own
Some of the scenes are beyond my imagination until they stare me on the TV screen. The brutality and madness, this level of savagery and coldness of heart that we are capable of as humans are frightening.
While sickened in my gut, as with other shocking things human do to each other, I realise it is but seeing and repulsed at the capacity of my own heart. I don’t presume I’m incapable of any evil I come to know.
Isn’t that a scary thought when you see glimpses of the darkness you can fall into?
The one you give your life to will kick your head
To the very end, Hanbei said, ‘over my dead body,’ to anyone trying to kill his wicked master Lord Naritsugu. And so it is, in the final duel, Shinzaemon killed his old contemporary Hanbei by cutting off his head.
As his head rolled on the ground, Shinzaemon was advancing to kill Lord Naritsugu next. Lord Naritsugu stepped forward with a look of firm boldness and dignity, and kicked his dead servant Hanbei’s head like a football towards Shinzaemon.
Shinzaemon knelt down where Hanbei’s head landed, looked across at Lord Naritsugu, saying in disbelief,
‘How can you kick his head? He gave his life for you!’
There you go, no sooner you’re dead to defend your master, and he’s already kicked your head like it meant nothing. Unfazed, Lord Naritsugu just said, ‘You could kick my head.’
Well, I wonder what the dead man thinks and if that would change his choice if he had known earlier that’s what his master is like toward him. Hanbei’s severed head is but a useless dead meat to him.
The slowness of heart is slow indeed
It was awhile from the time Lord Naritsugu set off on his journey, to the different encounters on the way, and finally when he was confronted by the 13 assassins in a town set up for a trap. He had some 200 with him, and the killings just kept going while the numbers kept dwindling, each one violently.
Nearing the end with only a few left with him, instead of waking up to the horror of all the bloodshed, he asked Hanbei, ‘You think the age of war was like this?’ Hanbei said perhaps.
Lord Naritsugu then said, ‘It is magnificent!’
Smile emerged on his face as he said, ‘Oh, Hanbei, something wonderful has come to my mind. Once I am on the Shogun council, let’s bring the age of war.’
What a demented response you can expect from anyone.
Slowness of heart, even until the very end.
Your days are numbered
The madness may persist for a long time, but at the face of death, (while still crazy) Lord Naritsugu finally cried like a baby for fear of death. That is what he said exactly, ‘the pain… am I dying? I don’t want to die! (sob sob)’
He cried with a regret that has no repentance in it. And that’s the end of it.
How does your idol look like now?
When the master was still well dressed, upright, in all strength and manliness, perhaps that speaks authority and has a force to draw people in.
But if you know the man you put on the pedestal will end up crawling in the dirt with mud all over his face, crying like a little girl for pain, would you still worship him like you did? The repulsiveness of the sight is unspeakable. Your honourable lord and idol eventually crumbles into the dirt.
Now, that’s what all our idols are, however lovely and delightful they look now in their veil yet.
It is not for women
The crudeness, brutality, the strength, manly determination, it is a contrast that reminds me of the distinction of traits between men and women. I don’t mean women aren’t crude or brutal, or strong or has a determination rivalling that of a man, but that there is no mistake a clear difference between the worlds of men and women remains. When it comes down to rawness of life, you see it.
It is only in the comfort of modernity that we slumber into illusion we are totally interchangeable and presume the only difference is physical. Even physical difference alone will still flow on to the mental, psychological, and emotional state of a person. Because we are not fragmented but the multidimensional aspects of our being are integrated.
Alright, that’s about what all I recall at the moment. Here is the trailer if you are interested to check it out. Just one disclaimer if you want to watch the full movie, do not watch it while having your dinner 🍴! It will make you sick.