The Twenty Virtues Book 1- The Twenty Generals

27-The Emperor

Golden cradle. Golden boy. A golden reality. There was a kingdom at the beginning of Japan's Edo Period, known for its immense power, so powerful that it was said if all the wealth of the land were gathered in one place, the world could not bear its weight. The kingdom had no enemies, only nuisances, insects that would be crushed the moment they bit.

It ruled with an iron hand over all its subjects, had the finest delicacies, the most feared soldiers, and was a devastating fortress, strong as a bear, destructive, and desperate souls were the ground on which this giant walked. For although the empire was powerful, it cared nothing for its people; the population starved, became impoverished, and was humiliated and abandoned by the royalty.

Perhaps because the kingdom gathered all sorts of triumphs, even its heir was born special. Uomen did not cry even when he was born; the legend says that as he emerged from his mother's womb, his nose was raised as if scorning the midwife. As he grew, he never looked anyone in the eye and recognized them as an equal. From childhood, his presence already made an impact; it was as if there was a spiritual pressure every time he walked and appeared. He was a perfect child, understanding the subjects his senseis taught with great clarity, quickly adapting to any type of weapon during combat training.

Nineteen years and the man had never lost a single battle, nineteen years and he had never answered a question wrong on a test, nineteen years and he was perfect, born and raised to become a perfect being....

But that's a lie.

When he was born, Uomen cried like any other baby. He always was and always will be human; that is something that will never change. The part about being talented? It was an exaggerated truth. Uomen had lost a fight or two or made a mistake on a question, but for the most part, he was exceptional.

He was truly skilled with any weapon and had a real aptitude for any subject. He became the pride of his parents, and in Uomen's case, that pride infected him. Constantly, masters and teachers praised him, saying they had never seen such an incredible child before, and the boy liked that. He felt special, happy to be praised; it was so good to be him. To be born where he was born, for he had everything. To have what he had, for he had everything. To be who he was, for he had everything.

And it happened that he was so happy to be praised that he sought out praise. He liked being admired so much that he sought admiration. And can you really blame this child?

An animal, when it tastes something that makes it feel good, always returns to that same spot, hoping to taste it again. It is in the nature and instinct to repeat, for if something makes you happy, why avoid doing it? Right? Uomen only talked about himself, always seeking an opportunity to show his skills.

And when others wanted to show their skills, the boy got bored. The others spoke as if what they did had any value. Why are you so happy to show that you know how to use a bow and arrow? How long did it take? Months? Ha, Uomen learned to use it in a few days.

When placed on a pedestal above a tower on a mountain, don't be surprised if the young man sees everyone below. How do you expect him to be happy for someone who took a long time to learn something he easily mastered? He would feel horrible for being happy about the incompetence of others.

This is the issue with pride and arrogance; there is a very fine line separating the two. To move from one to the other, all it takes is a step. Pride is the feeling of being happy about something you have, you develop confidence in it. It is a strange combination of various feelings that must constantly be kept in check; otherwise, you dive into arrogance.

Didn't understand? Why don't we take Uomen as an example? Imagine that you learned to use a bow very easily, and others made sure to point that out.

'Wow, you're very talented.'