A Question Of Love
Yesterday I was watching a Japanese animation, "Inuyasha" Episode 47: Onigumo's Heart Still Beats Within Naraku. For the benefit of those who have no idea what Inuyasha is, here is a brief overview - Inuyasha is a dog half demon traveling with a band of people, fighting demons and recovering shards of a broken crystal that could grant its bearer great gifts and a whole crystal could grant you any wish. Though it may look to some as linear, simplistic "I'll fight you till I die" genre, however, it has a deeper aspect that is commonly overlooked by its massive fan base, life and love.
In that particular episode, Inuyasha is placed in a unique situation that probably will not occur in our world. He has a choice, to choose a lady whom he had loved deeply, and had made him who he is in character sense, or a young girl, whom has stuck with him through thick and thin for the past couple of months, caring for him and loved him, though not admitting to do so. The catch is, his past love was killed by him, as he was manipulated into doing so, and later was resurrected, while the new girl is the reincarnation of that same girl he loved, same soul 2 bodies, who shall he choose. Though both are essentially the same bodily and spiritually, but they are also wholly different people. His past love is serious, kind, and pure of heart while the new girl is willful, and cheerful, 2 opposite characters. This leads me to a small research, coming up with this simple question, I asked a couple of people and searched the net for answers.
This is how the question goes:
Let me ask you a hypothetical question, assuming that
1. Reincarnation exists
2. Time travel exists
3. Soul can be shared amongst the same person of different reincarnations
4. Resurrection exists
Now, situation:
1) You have a love, with a long history with you and both of you loved each other deeply. However, you were tricked into killing her and she died, cremated. 500 years into the future, she is reincarnated and through some fated events, she traveled back in time, no recollection of her past life, but likes you and you spend a couple of months with her. But during that time, someone or something resurrected you're past love, with all memories intact, and she looks for you. Now faced with this choice, whom will you choose to go with? Which love shall stand, knowing that they are both essentially the same person with the same soul but from different times.
2) Knowing this extra information, that your past love is a serious lady, but loving and pure of heart, while the future reincarnation is willful and cheerful, a starkly different person, total opposite of your past love. Will you change your choice?
The answers I have gained from people (6 guys and 1 lady) were similar. All except for the lady had chosen the past love, and had said that since they had a longer history with the girl and therefore they would have more feelings for her, while another added the aspect of guilt in returning to her. 2 of them gave me unique answers, a guy said that he would return to who ever came to him first, while the lady said it is impossible to choose, as good or bad, the changes in them, we will not know. And finally for the second question, all had chosen to stick with their first answer.
It was an interesting insight on people among a similar age group. From this I can see certain loyalty, understanding of, a need for emotions to be fulfilled, and the sentimental value of past happenings in them. Comparing these to what I found on the net, was unnerving. I am surprised to find that the choices and reasoning found were worlds apart from that of the people I had questioned, and that the nature of men, could be easily seen from these answers, though I may be a male too.
Given the choices, many chose the future girl, and the reasoning is cuteness. (Note that I had intentionally left out the aspect of looks in my questionnaire) In the animation, both girls were dressed differently; the past was dressed in the pre-meji era clothing of Japan, while the other is in a stereotypical sailor uniform commonly found in anime. This surprised me that people would be shallow enough to view and even weigh the value of love and sentiments on physical appearances. Perhaps this is the reason why the number of divorce cases is increasing yearly, along with rising marriage numbers. Many people are getting married for the wrong reasons! Maybe the next time you were to meet up with your other half, look into their eyes and see the reason why they are with you. Is it for physical appearances or some other shallow ideals that they have?
One thing I have learnt from this is that love is a complicated issue at hand, and not many are capable or ready to handle it. A question one should ask, is the feeling a facade of love, and instead of lust and infatuation? The choice that I would have made is that of the past love, for love is something that transcends boundaries, of the spiritual and physical realm. As Inuyasha has said the following in a similar context, if she wished upon her death that she shall join me in my death, then I shall lay down my life for her, for she has laid down hers for mine. And I share the same sentiments.
In that particular episode, Inuyasha is placed in a unique situation that probably will not occur in our world. He has a choice, to choose a lady whom he had loved deeply, and had made him who he is in character sense, or a young girl, whom has stuck with him through thick and thin for the past couple of months, caring for him and loved him, though not admitting to do so. The catch is, his past love was killed by him, as he was manipulated into doing so, and later was resurrected, while the new girl is the reincarnation of that same girl he loved, same soul 2 bodies, who shall he choose. Though both are essentially the same bodily and spiritually, but they are also wholly different people. His past love is serious, kind, and pure of heart while the new girl is willful, and cheerful, 2 opposite characters. This leads me to a small research, coming up with this simple question, I asked a couple of people and searched the net for answers.
This is how the question goes:
Let me ask you a hypothetical question, assuming that
1. Reincarnation exists
2. Time travel exists
3. Soul can be shared amongst the same person of different reincarnations
4. Resurrection exists
Now, situation:
1) You have a love, with a long history with you and both of you loved each other deeply. However, you were tricked into killing her and she died, cremated. 500 years into the future, she is reincarnated and through some fated events, she traveled back in time, no recollection of her past life, but likes you and you spend a couple of months with her. But during that time, someone or something resurrected you're past love, with all memories intact, and she looks for you. Now faced with this choice, whom will you choose to go with? Which love shall stand, knowing that they are both essentially the same person with the same soul but from different times.
2) Knowing this extra information, that your past love is a serious lady, but loving and pure of heart, while the future reincarnation is willful and cheerful, a starkly different person, total opposite of your past love. Will you change your choice?
The answers I have gained from people (6 guys and 1 lady) were similar. All except for the lady had chosen the past love, and had said that since they had a longer history with the girl and therefore they would have more feelings for her, while another added the aspect of guilt in returning to her. 2 of them gave me unique answers, a guy said that he would return to who ever came to him first, while the lady said it is impossible to choose, as good or bad, the changes in them, we will not know. And finally for the second question, all had chosen to stick with their first answer.
It was an interesting insight on people among a similar age group. From this I can see certain loyalty, understanding of, a need for emotions to be fulfilled, and the sentimental value of past happenings in them. Comparing these to what I found on the net, was unnerving. I am surprised to find that the choices and reasoning found were worlds apart from that of the people I had questioned, and that the nature of men, could be easily seen from these answers, though I may be a male too.
Given the choices, many chose the future girl, and the reasoning is cuteness. (Note that I had intentionally left out the aspect of looks in my questionnaire) In the animation, both girls were dressed differently; the past was dressed in the pre-meji era clothing of Japan, while the other is in a stereotypical sailor uniform commonly found in anime. This surprised me that people would be shallow enough to view and even weigh the value of love and sentiments on physical appearances. Perhaps this is the reason why the number of divorce cases is increasing yearly, along with rising marriage numbers. Many people are getting married for the wrong reasons! Maybe the next time you were to meet up with your other half, look into their eyes and see the reason why they are with you. Is it for physical appearances or some other shallow ideals that they have?
One thing I have learnt from this is that love is a complicated issue at hand, and not many are capable or ready to handle it. A question one should ask, is the feeling a facade of love, and instead of lust and infatuation? The choice that I would have made is that of the past love, for love is something that transcends boundaries, of the spiritual and physical realm. As Inuyasha has said the following in a similar context, if she wished upon her death that she shall join me in my death, then I shall lay down my life for her, for she has laid down hers for mine. And I share the same sentiments.
posted by Renaissance at 10:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home