365

19 - A small measure of peace

"And so the days of the Samurai had ended. Nations, like men, it is sometimes said, have their own destiny. As for the American Captain, no one knows what became of him. Some say that he died of his wounds. Others, that he returned to his own country. But I like to think he may have at last found some small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find."

My family finaly had Internet when I was a junior in high school. However, it was not until several years later when the government tried to shrink the coverage of old-school broadcasting that we had cable TV. My favourite channels were, unsurprisingly, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. Those are the only ones that I could understand, as my English was even poorer then. Thanks to the introduction of subtitles in the following year, I was finally able to add HBO and Star Movies to my favourite channels. 

The Last Samurai - yes, that cliche movie - was among the first ones, and the most memorable ones that I've ever watched.

In that difficult summer of my youth, this movie was re-broadcasted again and again, even several times a day. It got me hook into the whole samurai fascination and kendo, which last for a while until HBO decided that it had enough with The Last Samurai. The first time I watched it, I was bewitched by its massive battles between old and new armies. The tenth time I watched it, I was captivated by the self-discipline and the philosophy of the Samurai, which, I found out years later, was actually Zen Buddhism. 

But the more I rewatched the movie, the more I was drawn to a particular idea at its end: a "small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find". 

Why is it so difficult to find peace in the modern time? The world is too frantic. From the time we open our eyes in the morning, we are constantly bombarded with stimulations. Things swirl around us, trying to get into our head. Because of the world, we cannot find peace.

Is that really the case?

In my humble opinion, peace comes from within. One time, I was in a beautiful mountain side lodge in Canada, which was generally used as a music camp for some of the most talented music students in the world. The scenary and atmosphere were unreal, heavenly. Everything was still. But my mind was raging. I could not find my small measure of peace, in perhaps one of the most peaceful places in the world.

And then there were times, amidst the chaotic and banal reality of the world, I was at peace. Time seems to stop, noises are driven out. For the first time, I am alive. It was my small measure of peace.

You can find one, too. With a good cause to work, a good will to meaning, and perhaps a good hand in yours, you can find one, too.