Marc Winston Isaac

Archaeo 2 THY

The Last Samurai revolves around the story of veteran soldier Nathan Algren. He was commissioned to
train military recruits of the Japanese empire on the usage of firearms. This was part of the effort to
repress the rebel group of the samurais. During the clash between Algrens trained army and the
samurais, the former fell down in defeat. Algren was then held captive in a village where he grew to
admire the traditions of the samurais.
The movie was particularly interesting since it showcases a clash between two significantly different
time periods. The country was trying to kill off olden traditions (in this case, samurai traditions) to
replace it with modern one. There is a Filipino saying that says Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa
pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paruruonan. Based solely on this saying, the Japanese is, by
killing their olden traditions, killing their own hopes of modernization. However, this does not necessarily
hold true for all situations. Sure, acknowledging history and heritage is essential to proceed but it does
not mean that it has to be physically there. For instance, the movie takes place during the Meiji
Restoration period, this occurred after the fall of the last shogunate. Japan has noticed that they are
falling behind Europe and America in terms of economic stature. That is why they are taking measures
(such as hiring Westerners like Algren to teach modern military technology to Japanese soldiers) to
westernize the country. With the samurais refusing the civil change, it will be hard for the whole country
to transition especially with an internal conflict. Harsh as it may sound, you cant go up without stepping
on something.
In the case of the Philippines, I think this internal conflict is all around us. People are protesting against
modernization efforts since it breaks away from what they are used to. In the recent past, the
proposition of the Reproductive Health Bill was hotly debated upon. Most people are against it since it
allegedly promotes premarital sex and is contradictory for our country since the Philippines is a Catholic
country. While that might be partly true, that bill is more than that. It aims to improve the overall health
of the nation. People are so blinded by the thought of disobeying what is said to be the social
convention that they forget to consider what is truly beneficial to everyone involved.
My point is: sure, heritage and historical identity is important. That is where you came from where we
came from. It is good looking back every now and then but it is not healthy to try and preserve it when it
has already clearly expired. You would not intentionally keep a rotten meat inside a refrigerator, right?
To sum it all up, I will just quote something that author Michael McMillan said: You cant start the next
chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.