This week I picked up another Japanese film, Zero, as recently, that seems to be all I watched, to improve my Japanese. Ever since my fantastic one month trip this year in Japan, I've regained my desire to proficient the language. This was the 10th time I've visited the country, and I continued to be pleasantly surprised by how many cultural, historical, and day-to-day events that had surprised me and intrigued my desire to learn more! Of course, not to mention all those delicious Japanese food, Hot Spring, and shopping! The movie was about Kamikaze pilot Even though I've known this movie for some time (it came out in 2013), I've never really wanted to watch it, partly because I thought it was just another War movie to glorify the Japanese Empire or a simple action flick! There is nothing wrong with this kind of movie, as I'm not against, nor support Wars. Wars are just part of human history, the less we have, the better, but it seems that we can never get away from it. 😞 However, I was utterly blown away by this film! It was NOT about glorifying the Japanese soldiers, or just an action flick, it's about LIFE. Life can be so trivia, and entirely out of your control. Under the circumstances of your fate, where you are, when, and what! We often demonized those people who chose to kill, to carry the bombs, like suicide bombers for ISIS, or soldiers who've turned on that gas chamber and send the Jewish concentration prisoners to death... But how many of them were trying to survive and to follow an order? An order that they have no choice but to follow! This film has spoken to me profoundly, and especially at what had happened this year so far! We're now heading into the potential 2nd wave of this COVID 19 pandemic and the half-year of 2020. And if you're still reading, that means among the death of 450K + people, and the families who couldn't even say goodbye to their loved ones, who died alone in the hospital, isolated, and painful... If you're still here, consider yourself very, very lucky! Earlier this year, we condemned severely about the Chinese government and those officials who tried to hide the fact about COVID 19, but how many of us have ever lived under an authoritarian state like China? How many of us have experienced the fear of speaking out? Sure, this by no means is to justify their actions, but while we praise those whistleblowers as if we'd surely do the same as if that's an easy task and a rightful thing, one must do... but we need to ask ourselves: Will we? Could we? I don't know the answer, because it's always too easy to judge when you're on the other side, but none of us ever willing to step into other people's shoes! Earlier last month, when George Floyd died, we saw another division not only in the U.S, but other countries, and not only in the right and left, but between different races. I was quite, because I don't know enough! On the other hand, I sympathized with the death and police brutality, but I also understand the "law and order" scenario and how some people refuse to martyrize him because he committed a crime of a counterfeit bill. How many people use the data to show a large number of black criminal rates, black killing black, and how there is no systematic racism anymore! And then we argue, and argue, and argue... There were other voices from the Asian community, who proudly held the badge of the model minority. As the most successful minority in the Western world, our existence diminished the black history, and summarized the statement "black people just don't work hard enough." Honestly, I've long been a true believer about people not at where they are because they haven't worked hard enough, but I think the real reason was simply that I've never put myself in their shoes. Like I mentioned, we were never born under the Japanese Empire or the Nazi Regime as a Japanese or German citizen during the war. It's so easy for us to say "fight the evil," but if your mom is sick, your wife is pregnant, and the only job you have is to fly the airplane and carry the bomb to destroy the U.S Navy ship, alone with yourself.... Or if your job is to turn on the switch of the gas chamber in the concentration camp... And you don't have a choice to "quit your job," no, you either do it or see your family suffers, what would you do? What else could you do? Now you see, this question becomes more complicated than just saying "fight the evil and never surrender"... This is the issue we're facing nowadays. None of us are willing to listen, truly understand, and put ourselves in other people's shoes! Are black people just lazy and choose a life of crime? If you were born in a slump, your dad was gone, your uncles are in jail, your big brother is selling drugs to put food on the table for you and your mom, your public school is dangerous, full of bullies and drugs, none of the teachers wanted to be there... You are broke, have no money, no future, no prospect, and then your big brother invited you to become his drug business partner... What would you do? Are Asian kids just naturally gifted and smart? If your parents fled from the wars and came to the West with no money, no skill, and no way to speak English. They worked until death to save enough money for you to go to college, what would you do? Would you go out to play basketball with your friends or go on a date, or would you study your ass off to pay back all the debt you've owed? After all, all parents and grandparents are counting on you! Are white people just snobbish and superior? If your ancestors came from the Atlantic ships, and survived in the new world, without any money, any rank and simpy with the mentality of hard works and courage... How proud you would be for being white, bein the decedent of the European settlers. These people brought the world into a new ear, from the great voyeurs to the industrialized evolution, to many inventions. Suddenly, everyone said that you were just lucky, it's unfair, you should feel ashame or even guilty of all the great achievements that your ancestors sweat to build, how would you feel? You see, all these are just merely elementary questions, but instead of going back to data and tell people the factual bases of our history, it is more profound to let people imagine what their life would be if they are in your shoes! Because I truly believe, language is the tool for communications, empathy is the beginning of understanding! Here are some good (and possibly controversial) videos to give you different point of view: Black people who are NOT in the BLM and don’t believe the White Privileges Asian Who support BLM The Mode Minority Myth And finally, Candace Owen on George Floyd Finally, I highly recommend Sam Harris newest podcast - Can We Pull Back From The Brink? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5kk4b5vBCL3lcGDIem1wWS?si=6ExJcU_8QfeNpQEhvmFrBg
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