Sensei's Notes

I rented The Last Samurai this weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I think this is the best film that Tom Cruise has made to date. I don't think the majority of the viewers will understand the film -- it will blow right over their heads. But, it gives one an interesting view of history, and that alone is worth the price of the movie. I bet the Japanese laid out the big bucks to get this one made. I recommend that you add this DVD to your collection. (Just for the mountain community scenes it's worth it.)

Can the traditions of the past be preserved? You have to ask yourself which ones and why? The secret of survival is to adapt, overcome, and improvise. The tree that rigidly stands against the winds of change usually is blown to bits, but the grass bends with the wind, and after the storm passes it springs right back. Death is rigid -- life is flexible.

The world is changing constantly. 52 million new people are added to it every year. They have to be fed and clothed and housed and educated... there are technological advances, scientific progress, and medical breakthroughs -- each of these things change the world radically. In a competitive world if you stagnate you become obsolete. The other side of the coin is: without the things we hold dear, what is the value of life? 

What we need to do is discover the "balance point." We need to find ways to constantly renew ourselves without losing our connection to Nature -- our harmony. This is what I am trying to do here.

"Show yourself simple and pure, and all shall flow to you."
- Lao Tzu

Website of the day: 6 Billion Human Beings

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