The Last Samurai is undoubtedly a masterpiece
of filmmaking, a modern-day work of art. It
is an expression of the stunning beauty that
can be found in Japanese culture.
But what is it exactly about this film that
captivates our imagination? What is it about
the samurai that is so awe inspiring?
And why do these characters so effortlessly
soothe an overly anxious mind plagued by the
externalities of modern-day existence?
What exactly is it about this film that we
find so appealing? And why should we consider
it to be exceptional?
Should we attribute it to the romantic ideals
of duty and honor, or perhaps it is the exquisite
speeches about fate and mortality?
Among the many themes that are explored in
this film, there is one that stands out above
all others. It is the glue that holds everything
together.
There is something that the samurai possess
that is uncommon in the modern world, most
especially in the western world.
The samurai live simple, purpose filled lives.
Viktor Frankl wrote on finding meaning and
happiness: “Striving to find a meaning in
one’s life is the primary motivational force
in man.”
The samurai do not have easy lives, but what
they do have, is a clear sense of purpose.
It is miraculous what a clear sense of purpose
can do to uncomplicate a life filled with
anxiety and doubt.
Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, "He who has
a ‘why' to live for can bear almost any
how."
What Nietzsche meant was that a person who
has a reason to live, can bear almost any
manner of life.
The samurai do not live for individual desires.
They do not live to obtain material wealth.
They live to serve, they serve their country,
their culture, and their communities, which
ultimately serves themselves.
In American culture, the individual is of
primary importance, and in the celebration
of rugged individualism, the importance given
to the community is greatly overshadowed.
To live a life above one’s base desires
is a noble and commendable existence.
Americans suffer greatly from anxiety disorders,
affecting 40 million adults. Many suffer from
what is called diseases of despair, due to
long-term negative social and economic conditions.
Diseases of despair include drug overdose,
alcohol overdose, suicide, and alcoholic liver
disease. The term “diseases of despair”
has become popularized in the media because
of its connection to the opioid epidemic.
These problems have their roots in the massive
amounts of economic inequality and the erosion
of community. The worth of an individual has
been reduced to a measure of their economic
value. In eastern cultures, where the importance
of the community is greater than that of the
individual, it is unthinkable to treat healthcare,
education, or the care of the elderly as a
commodity subject to the whims of the free
market. A society that places an emphasis
on the importance of the collective would
treat the health needs of all, exactly as
they would a close family member, without
thought of the market value of a human life.
The growing problem of the anxiety and diseases
of despair is a result of a society that insists
on telling the most vulnerable of individuals
to pick themselves up by their bootstraps
and to go at it alone, a society that considers
greed a virtue as opposed to a symptom of
a much deeper and more insidious disease.
It may be technically correct to attribute
the disparity in wealth and the current state
of the American political and economic systems
to bad actors of the billionaire class, while
indeed this may be true, it is important to
remember that these individuals are also products
of their culture, and are operating under
the presumption that an individual’s desires
are of the utmost importance, and their behavior
is rational even if it is detrimental to society
as a whole. The problem is partly individual
responsibility, but it is also systemic and
cultural.
No culture is perfect and the characters in
this film are highly romanticized, but the
ideals that are represented are true value
systems present in eastern cultures and eastern
philosophies. These are ideals that the western
world can learn from, and eastern cultures
should celebrate and do well to remember.
