homeland
Kuribayashi: Is this still Japanese land?
Saigo: Hai
Upon the black soil of Iwo Jima Kurabishiya proceeds to take out his gun, a gift from an American officer, and shoots himself in the heart as he watches the sea, probably in the direction of Japan. To die for your homeland, on your homeland, defending your homeland. The film focuses quite abit on the Japanese military's obsession upon such values, the ideals that makes them a force to fear.
It also, however, shows us another important aspect of war that many glory seeking fools undermine and spit upon. That war isn't fought to kill enemies, to pillage and rob and rape but instead it is always about defending your people, your nation. For upon their backs, the civilians at home, they carry the greatest burden no matter the outcome of the war. For who rebuilds? Who repopulates? Who slogs to turn the wheels of the economy again? Who carries on the culture and blood and pride of the people? Not the glorious patriarchs who died fighting, not the dead bodies of the enemies slain, but the survivors.
Saigo survives in the end, under American care whilst all the other comrades he had were dead. He lives to see his wife again, to greet his daughter whom he hadn't met. Many may call him a coward for running and retreating and surviving where he should have died but in the end its a persons choice what and whom he dies for. For every surviving soldier there is one more person to bring bread home, one more wife who gets her husband back, one more child spared from a fatherless life. Better to live in defeat then to die in glory - The words of a coward? Or someone brave enough to continue facing life?
National service is coming for me and all that lies between me and it is 11 months, a national paper and a hell load of visits to the doctor. While I'll probably be getting, sadly, PES E or something cause of my arm and eye, its interesting to think what'd i'd do if i found myself in Saigo's position. Would i retreat to live another day or would i stay and take down as many soldiers before i died? I suppose i'd think of which action benefits the country more, since i'm probably going to end up dying anyway, i might as well pick the more stategic choice. Or not.
Either way i doubt such situations will ever happen to Singapore, any attack by another country could probably take out our tiny island nation before any tunnels can be built. That is, if theres even any underground space left to dig, we do, after all have MRT and drainage systems and whats nots. Besides, our governments too pragmatic to enter a war after considering the collosal fundings that one would require, and the usual economic devastation that usually follows.
Whats worth dying for? To me, it wouldn't be my "homeland", after all its just a speck of dirt, a clump of soil amid clumps of soil. Its the people that are worth dying for, because to me thats what makes a country, thats what life is for. The buildings can fall and the flags may burn, the grass razed and the land overrun, but if the people survive, if they exist and retain their identity, the country lives on.
For a nation is its people, not its soil or its culture or its ideals. Just the Toms, Dicks and Harrys walking on the street.
and you can never beat them all
Saigo: Hai
Upon the black soil of Iwo Jima Kurabishiya proceeds to take out his gun, a gift from an American officer, and shoots himself in the heart as he watches the sea, probably in the direction of Japan. To die for your homeland, on your homeland, defending your homeland. The film focuses quite abit on the Japanese military's obsession upon such values, the ideals that makes them a force to fear.
It also, however, shows us another important aspect of war that many glory seeking fools undermine and spit upon. That war isn't fought to kill enemies, to pillage and rob and rape but instead it is always about defending your people, your nation. For upon their backs, the civilians at home, they carry the greatest burden no matter the outcome of the war. For who rebuilds? Who repopulates? Who slogs to turn the wheels of the economy again? Who carries on the culture and blood and pride of the people? Not the glorious patriarchs who died fighting, not the dead bodies of the enemies slain, but the survivors.
Saigo survives in the end, under American care whilst all the other comrades he had were dead. He lives to see his wife again, to greet his daughter whom he hadn't met. Many may call him a coward for running and retreating and surviving where he should have died but in the end its a persons choice what and whom he dies for. For every surviving soldier there is one more person to bring bread home, one more wife who gets her husband back, one more child spared from a fatherless life. Better to live in defeat then to die in glory - The words of a coward? Or someone brave enough to continue facing life?
National service is coming for me and all that lies between me and it is 11 months, a national paper and a hell load of visits to the doctor. While I'll probably be getting, sadly, PES E or something cause of my arm and eye, its interesting to think what'd i'd do if i found myself in Saigo's position. Would i retreat to live another day or would i stay and take down as many soldiers before i died? I suppose i'd think of which action benefits the country more, since i'm probably going to end up dying anyway, i might as well pick the more stategic choice. Or not.
Either way i doubt such situations will ever happen to Singapore, any attack by another country could probably take out our tiny island nation before any tunnels can be built. That is, if theres even any underground space left to dig, we do, after all have MRT and drainage systems and whats nots. Besides, our governments too pragmatic to enter a war after considering the collosal fundings that one would require, and the usual economic devastation that usually follows.
Whats worth dying for? To me, it wouldn't be my "homeland", after all its just a speck of dirt, a clump of soil amid clumps of soil. Its the people that are worth dying for, because to me thats what makes a country, thats what life is for. The buildings can fall and the flags may burn, the grass razed and the land overrun, but if the people survive, if they exist and retain their identity, the country lives on.
For a nation is its people, not its soil or its culture or its ideals. Just the Toms, Dicks and Harrys walking on the street.
and you can never beat them all
posted by slipperdan at 10:47 PM
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