“They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline.”
Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) in The Last Samurai
I think I have watched this movie, ‘The Last Samurai’ so many times, as I enjoyed it so much. The conversation is fantastic. The quote above is from the movie and fits quite squarely on the subject that I intent to touch on in this article.
I like to watch Samurai movies as they provide an insight into the life and spirit of the Samurai, the ancient Japanese warrior class. In addition to the sword play, I am fascinated by the strict code of discipline and conduct, the close adherence to traditional values and warrior ethos – the Code of Bushido- which governs the Samurai’s way of life.
If you were to pay close attention to the dialogue of the characters in the movie, you’ll be amazed at the nuggets of insights and wisdom scattered throughout the movie. To me, The Last Samurai is one of the best movies in this regard. Kudos to the script writers and to the director and actors who made the script come alive in the movie.
Obviously, the movie is perhaps fictional, but it’s intended to be a historical drama to capture the dynamics of Japan at that particular point in time. Starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, and directed by Ed Zwick, the movie tells the story of Nathan Algren, a captain in the 7th Calvary Regiment, who is sent to destroy the samurai in 19th-century Japan, only to be captured and thrown into personal and emotional conflict.
The movie was released on December 5, 2003, with the tagline – “In the face of an enemy, in the heart of one man, lies the soul of a warrior.” That one man is the extraordinary Samurai Katsumoto – beautifully played by actor Ken Watanabe- the last of the true Samurai. But the tagline also alludes to Algren as being one as well, at least in spirit, as he has really understood the Samurai way and being imbued with its ethos, readily and willingly shares the spirit and soul of the Samurai. He was being inspired by Katsumoto and his band of the last of the Samurais. Of which, in the movie, he was essentially one of them.
Coming back to the quote at the beginning of this article, which I have chosen as my tagline for the main theme of this article, the quote is made during a moment of reflection by the protagonist Nathan Algren, on the samurai way of life. He is fascinated by their way of life, values of discipline and one mindedness to the ideal of perfection. He surmises and reflects, as follows:
“They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline.”
This observation, albeit fictional and a just a line from the script of a movie, encapsulates the essence of the idea behind the choice of the title of this essay, one intended to underscore the importance of hard work and discipline in real life. In particular, the point that without hard work and discipline there will be no success.
Probably, all of us would have heard the same phrase from our parents, teachers or elders, and other too. I am sure as parents we would have had exhorted our children likewise. It may not be the exact words used, but we would have come across some inference of it, a different version or shade of it. But no matter the exact words used, one would have been unmistakably inspired or genuinely motivated by such invocation or dispensation of true words and wise counsel.
Growing up in a village upbringing in the late fifties and early sixties, I never failed to hear the invocation of the need for and importance of hard work and self discipline. It was almost a mantra from our parents and the whole village. Perhaps, it was due to the tough life they led. One filled with hard work and physical labour in the struggle of eking out a living from their environment.
Our elders did not only preach but lived what they preached. Everyday was filled with work and myriads of tasks and chores which they carried out faithfully. Their own lives demonstrated the discipline and ethos of what they drummed into us. As the proverb says “It takes a village to raise a child” and true enough an entire community of people collaborated to provide for and interact positively with the village children for them to experience and grow up in a wholesome, safe and healthy environment. Perhaps, it is not quite the same these days, isn’t it? Somehow, the so-called ‘modern way of life’ is devoid of some of the positive aspects of community living that existed in a more traditional and communal setting. A point worth reflecting about.
Coming back to the subject of discipline and hard work – working and the expending of efforts are concomitant to existence in the current realm. It is axiomatic to assert that life on earth is one of continuous efforts and endless struggles. As my favourite mystic poet Rumi once said, “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Indeed, work is part and parcel of what it means to be a human being, especially in this temporal realm we now find ourselves in.
The various scriptures have many references to hard work. Take for example, the Quran where it categorically says that “Man will not get anything unless he works hard” (Quran 53:39). And as if to refute the protest against hard work the Quran further states that “Verily, with every difficulty, there is relief” in the 5th verse from the chapter of Surah al-Inshirah. It is one of the most beautiful verses in the Quran. I quote the passage in full as follows:
“So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief;
Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.
Therefore, when thou art free (from thine immediate task), still labour hard,
And to thy Lord turn [all] thy attention.”
What a beautiful and elegant passage. Obviously, it’s context and interpretation is far more than just the literal and obvious shade of meaning as its dimensions can be multifaceted and very deep, with layers of meaning. Well, those aspects are for those much more enlightened and knowledgeable then the writer and not the focus of this article.
The Bible tells us to “work heartily” as in all labour there is profit but mere talk leads only to poverty. The Chapter of Proverbs 14:23 says: “In all labour there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” Laziness and sloth is seen as a deadly sin, since living a lazy life will cause suffering and anxiety. Therefore, it is good and healthy for the body and mind to indulge in hard work, in that way to serve God and others with the gifts from Him.
Further in Proverbs 6 – 8, the Bible asks that man pays attention to the ants and observe their wonderful work ethics, and provides thus: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Going further and as if to drive home the point in Proverbs 14:23, the truth has be underscored as follows: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Similar exhortations are made by the Buddha which touched on the importance of self control and discipline, where he was reported to have said- “The person who masters himself through self-control and discipline is truly undefeatable.” The Gautama Buddha has also said that – “There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.” Disciplining the mind is one of the hardest things to do. And as Buddha said, it is tantamount to disobedience if one has an indisciplined mind.
The principle of hard work and self discipline is a fundamental precept and so important to the human being. One’s success or failure rests to a large extent on the ability to understand and to live this fundamental precept. One could say that one’s destiny or lot in life is premised on this one important concept.
Growing up, I have seen this principle being played out and demonstrated. I had some of my friends and relatives in school who were without doubt naturally gifted and brilliant but due to their inability to stay focused in class and having the discipline to follow through with the instructions from the teachers and the exhortation to study hard, they soon faltered and fell back on their education. Therefore, the inevitable would happen where what they managed to achieve was only to fail in their examinations and failing to proceed further.
One could surmise that their lack of focus and discipline somehow hampered their progress and hence made them unable to realise their true potential. Well, in the context of modern education, perhaps not exactly right because the nature of formal education is rather narrow, and the techniques may not be suitable to some people. Maybe, the poor child just couldn’t connect with the subject, or the teacher could not get through to the child. I realised that formal education may not be everyone’s cup of tea and people with little or no education do succeed well in many fields. My classmate who dropped out from school at standard six is a successful individual and a leader in his community. His knowledge of how to live in his environment is par excellence.
But for those who failed in life, perhaps they have been unable to realise, in the words of Katsumoto in the movie The Last Samurai, that there is “Life in every breath. That is the way of the warrior. That is Bushido!” In other words, the ethos of hard work and discipline is the engine to realise one’s true potential, to achieve one’s destiny. As long as there is a breath left, one should not give up. There is life, even in that breath.
At one juncture in the movie the following exchange happened between the protagonists:
Katsumoto: You believe a man can change his destiny?
Nathan Algren: l think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed to him.
That kind of nicely encapsulated my point that one can shape one’s destiny by the sincere and honest efforts, discipline and hard work. If we use every breath we take and every move we make as a means to progress and to discipline our minds and actions, success cannot escape from our grasp. We make our own destiny through our hard work and discipline of mind and faith. There is no limit to our potential. We just need to unlock it.
As Buzz Lightyear always said: “To infinity… and beyond! “. The line ‘To infinity… and beyond,’ a catchphrase which I enjoyed so much is uttered by a toy space ranger called Buzz Lightyear in the movie ‘Toy Story’ and it has been named as the most memorable film quote of all time.
So, there you go. There is so much to learn as the teachers are found everywhere, in nature, from people around us, and even in a fictional movie based on a historical drama in some far away land and epoch. Or a story about a toy space ranger. No matter the form and the delivery, there are lessons everywhere. These encourages us to aim higher and to go for the beyond.
Perhaps, it is fitting to end this article by calling the reader to reflect upon the words of a poem by Maya Green, the pen name of the writer, as given below:
The Deft Blade
By Maya Green
A simple jungle boy
aspiring
to be an eager warrior
with a deft blade
but of a changed heart
In constant search
of the meaningful
of nothingness
Where zero is total gain
and annihilation
is aliveness
That’s the deft blade
at work
It takes no prisoners
It conquers all
And victory is complete
only when there is
total defeat
