Rescue and self-help

Tillman 2022-12-20 13:27:29

Chaotic, blind life, no trajectory to follow, everything is irregular. Because human nature itself is blind and irregular, the existence of each special individual is without precedent. Looking at the people in "A Small Market Without Seasons", it seems that they are looking at all living beings. Today, they don't know what will happen tomorrow, so they have to go on according to the current situation. Today's decision may be a temporary emotional impulse, or it may be based on self-conscious prudence. The plan, but how the future development will be, after all, is not under his control. Living rationally is unrealistic, because perceptual people cannot accurately calculate where their feelings come from, cannot accurately define the nature of their own feelings, and cannot accurately calculate how deep each of their feelings is, and It is also impossible for perceptual people to measure every feeling and every thought that is present all the time, and it is impossible to specifically examine the motivation behind every thought and behavior. Right and wrong, should or should not, desirable or undesirable, there is no scale to measure, not to mention that most of the time, no one bothers to think about these things, unlike a machine to do regular inspections. People who live in emotions follow their current impulses and continue like this. Some people are lucky and experience less pain, while others are unfortunate and experience more pain. And the forms of pain are endless and innumerable. The word pain is only a general description. I don’t know how much or what it includes. Language can’t describe what people can experience. Can you live better? How can it be good? Everyone seems to be in need of help.
The luckiest person is the one who goes all the way to the black, in other words, the person who has a little faith. Whatever the belief is: it could be a hope, it could be an imagination, it could be a belief, it could be a theory, it could be a religion. It is the spiritual guidance of people, it designates a certain direction for people in a blind life, sets a tone for people's thoughts and actions, and paves the way for people's conscious activities. But belief itself is questionable, because the realm of this thing is too high, the standards are too strict, and it is too difficult to find, and most of them are easily disillusioned. Those things that you think can be used as beliefs are not ideal beliefs when you think about them. So I don't believe in the word faith. No belief can stand up to scrutiny, and in the end, it will be attributed to nothingness. However, pretend to have faith, in the case of eternal absence of faith. This is the only way to avoid blindness.
In this movie, I saw the blindness of all people and the self-rescue of some people. The boy who drives the tram, looks so good when the tram is moving, and he keeps driving. There is also the old man who does handicrafts, and the father who has raised five other children, and the lame man who is grateful to the shrew's wife, and the young man who delivers sake, and the sweet dream of a beggar's father and son's house.
















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Extended Reading

Dodes'ka-den quotes

  • Beggar: Our house ought to be built on a hill. We Japanese used to build houses in valleys and mountain coves. We've always preferred the lowlands.

    Beggar's Son: That's true. I saw pictures of foreign countries. They have their houses in high places, but ours are in low places.

    Beggar: There's a reason for that. There are many earthquakes and typhoons in Japan. Wooden houses in high places are easily shaken by earthquakes and typhoons. So they chose the lowlands to avoid the danger. But that's not the only reason.

    Beggar: [continues] The Japanese prefer soft light to bright sunshine. We like shady places. We like to live in the midst of nature. So we couldn't get used to concrete houses.

    Beggar's Son: That's right. I don't like concrete houses either. They're too cold for me.

    Beggar: But we shouldn't forget one thing. It's true that wooden houses suit the Japanese people. But we mustn't cling to our culture and characteristics if we become weak and lose endurance as a result. By living in houses made of stone, iron, and concrete, foreigners have strengthened their characters and capabilities. Now we're building our own house. We must take our future into consideration. We must think of you, your children, and your grandchildren.

    Beggar's Son: Yes, that's true.

  • Beggar: I've been thinking all evening about the house we're building... Looks like you're sleepy?

    Beggar's Son: No, I'm not sleepy. I'm listening.

    Beggar: The gate comes first. The gate is the face of a house. The face shows the character.

    Beggar's Son: Mm hmm. That's right.

    Beggar: Since we're building a house on a hill, it must be in a European style. How about rococo? Or Spanish style? British style isn't bad either... They're a bit showy. It should be neither too fancy nor too imposing. I want a gate both plain and inviting.