Satiated

You believe a man can change his destiny?
I believe a man does all he can until his destiny is revealed.

Earlier this evening, channel 5 replayed “The Last Samurai”. Minus off the bad interpretation of Asians with the persistently thick Japanese-accented dialogue and you’re left with a pretty good storyline.

And yes, I adore Ken Watanabe. I think he’s so MAN. THE man. The perfect face of a gentleman warrior. MY ultimate samurai hero in the movie. But I sure wouldn't want him to really be a samurai... errr.. because I read that they practiced shudo which are against my moral ethics. But that's another story!

I am an old woman. I have every right to oogle at old men.

The misinterpreted protagonists within run in little circles for what they perceive to be at the heart of their existence. We can mock them for their apparent stupidity but we should question; given the same circumstances, environment and way of life, would we end up at the same point?

Essentially, it is a poignant tale of how greed manipulates the meek weak willed. Propelled by what they believe as anomalies in appearances, the ignorant justifies the use of violence by labeling the other party as a threat.

However, when stripped of its façade; No matter what color, race, gender, age, health status or religion you possess, beneath all, red blood flows. We all experience hunger when we don’t eat, cry when sadness overwhelms and smile at the faces of the people we love.

Perhaps the only difference lies in the intensity in which we feel.

You can be bitter about the wars and the suffering that history has dealt, but when you recognize we are but pawns in this propaganda scandal, you’ll know better then to allow yourself to be embroiled in the whole debate.

People were simple minded back then.

Will you allow yourself to tread that same path?
It’s your choice.

And parallel to the storyline in the movie, adversity breeds courage. It’s ironic that we need such drastic events to stir otherwise dormant courage. And like many of life’s great lessons, we learn through defeat.

You learn to pick yourself after you fall.

A friend (Zul) once said something so miraculously clever its been burnt into memory…

"And sometimes things happen to me at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection I realized that without overcoming those obstacles I would have never realized my potential, strength, will power or heart.

Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless."