If anything has struck me over recent months as evidence that we, as a country, have lost our way in relationship to God and our own history, it has been the increasing incivility seen in so many. You see it driving in your town, dealing with a surly store clerk (or customer) or in the frustration of a culture that no longer values simple polite gestures like returning phone calls (or emails) or saying “thanks” & “please.”
Even the recent revelations of the moral failure of our soldiers in the field of battle should not be too surprising coming from a culture that values mocking, degradation and humiliation. Don’t think that is the USA? Then you haven’t been watching TV recently nor played some popular video games. Nor, obviously, have you walked around. Perhaps in some corners of our society there remains small villages or hamlets of politeness. But the reach of the popular press invades there as well.
We often think that we can legislate morality or action with things like standardized tests in school and yet ignore the obvious reality that action is linked to character and character is developed over time, principally by the home/family but assisted by culture. In America, there is a clear dearth of moral strength in both of those domains.
This need was brought vividly home to me by the horrific revelations of our soldiers in Iraq. Hearing Donald Rumsfeld say that the actions of our soldiers were “inconsistent with the values of our nation” was actually sad. My first thought was “maybe the values of our past, but certainly not of our present.” As a nation in which lying is done easily, life is of no consequence, breaking the rules is okay for everyone including the chief executive of the country, the actions of our soldiers was actually quite consistent with our current values.
All of these thoughts were driven sharply into focus upon watching The Last Samurai.
The movie does a good job of portraying that. As I read about bushido in the DVD extras, I was so struck on many levels about how we could stand a dose of this in our society. While clearly much of the code is based on Zen Buddhism and Confucianism, the code emphasized duty to others, personal honor and virtues like civility, self-sacrifice and courage.
Below is a short list and summary of each point, as described by the movie DVD. As you read each point, I urge you to reflect upon how often these ideals are put into practice by you in your world. In our past, at least in America, our values were mostly pristine and at least conceptually based on the teachings of Jesus. If we are to return to a time when the horrors of the Iraqi POW experience are mere myths or actions of other countries, perhaps we need some samurai warriors, men and women, to rise up and begin living life with honor.
The Bushido Code:
Honesty and Justice—The warrior always speaks truth and protects justice; a core concept that has clearly escaped most of us.
Polite Courtesy—The warrior is so confident of himself, he does not need to prove his strength through discourtesy. Our society has become overrun with rudeness, taught by our popular culture (MTV, reality TV and games like Grand Theft Auto:Miami Vice) that condemns, slams and hates. We are people so unsure of our own strength, so weak in our minds, that the only way to project any strength is to be rude to others.
Heroic Courage—The warrior doesn’t hide from life like a turtle in a shell, afraid to act, but she lives life completely, with the risks and dangers inherent—life in every breath.
Honor—The warrior realizes that she cannot hide from self. Self is the only judge. How you approach life is a reflection of who you truly are.
Compassion—The warriors sees his power used for good of others.
Complete Sincerity—For the warrior, speaking and doing are the same action; the warrior does not need to give his “word” or “promise”–to say is to do. This concept seems to be the most lacking in the world. I feel surrounded by people who have no concept of this fact as they only do the things they feel like doing, even though earlier they gave a verbal commitment to the task.
Duty & Loyalty—Having said or done a “thing,” the warrior knows that she “owns” that thing. She is responsible for it and all the consequences that follow. She is always loyal, fiercely true. Again, I wince as I think of the many who seem to know nothing of these words.