understanding the old lady

I went to watch a documentary, the name was: ” My heart is not broken yet”. It was about an old Korean lady who was a comfort woman, a sex slave for the Japanese army during the war.

She spent the last 10 years, and lots of money, filling and following a lawsuit against the Japanese government, asking them to issue an official apology to her, because she knows Japanese don’t like to apologize or admit they made mistakes.

That’s right, she didn’t want monetary compensation, she didn’t want the Japanese or any other country to just get rid of their armies, stop the wars and live in peace, she didn’t want to make sure what happened to her won’t happen again to anyone else in the future.

She just wanted an apology.

And she didn’t want an apology from the soldiers or military officials that served during the war, but from the actual Japanese government that little had to do with what happened 60 years ago.

Yet the Japanese keep denying everything, whitewashing the textbooks and censoring the history regarding Nanjing, Korea, and SE Asia.

And the Japanese people believe it, because, you know that’s what the government says…
same as the chinese believe that the tibetans are hostiles and whatever story the teach them about chairman Mao, the North Koreans believe their dictator is a hero or a god or whatever.
Same as the Israelis with the Palestinians, the Russians with the Georgians, the Americans with the Middle Easterns, they will always believe the official story (whatever b.s. the government says) just because they say it. Yeah, that’s all the proof we need right now to believe something. We need the government to say it, that’s it. Same as before we needed the church to say it and that was it. Whatever they say we will believe and whatever they want us to do, we will do, because we are stupid and it’s easier just to follow orders than to think for ourselves or stand up for what’s right.

In my case, growing up in Argentina, in Latinamerica, when I was there I’ve been conditioned to believe that the reason why I was poor and had no food it was because the Americans owned all the big companies and controlled the economy there. and because the British stole some island, and because the Chinese, Koreans, and other Latin Americans came and take the jobs from us, and yeah, you know, the economy, the inflation, the corruption, the debt, the crisis,  WTF!

We are always blaming other people (or the circumstances) for our misery instead of taking responsibility for our actions.

And the Korean woman just wants an official apology…

Let’s say the japanese government will admit everything, apology and give money to everyone like the germans did. What would that change?

I think we should learn from our mistakes and make sure it doesn’t happen again. what’s the point of worrying about the past and regretting things we did or other people did to us?

And all the people who went to watch that documentary were all happy with the documentary and admiring the old lady.

This kind of things happen to me every day and make me feel like I’m all alone and no one understands me.

Maybe im taking the wrong approach, and  I should try to understand them, instead of asking other people to understand me.

That’s difficult, and I would have to accept he fact that I dont have the ultimate truth and other people have their own truths also.

Maybe the apology would help and change things by making them understand that they made a mistake and they shouldn’t kill, torture and rape people again.

And other countries will see what that the Japanese took responsibility and won’t make the same mistake.

Well, probably not, but I should still try to understand others, instead of always thinking I am the only one who’s right and I know everything.

I will try today, and maybe in a few years if I ever read this again it will remind me that I should try harder to understand everyone (including this old lady)

0 thoughts on “understanding the old lady

  1. Remember, in Bangkok, I advocated people?…You said that everything should be vanished and started from the scratch…I objected…I said that ALWAYS there is a chance to make a change. I still believe that. Right now, even more that EVER, I feel like I CAN make a change. To be honest, 'can' is too little. I am doubtlessly confident…So confident that I can be perceived insane…
    But things are not the same though…Something has changed…I feel contempt for those who make same mistakes allover…NOT those innocent sinners, but those who intentionally do evil stuff…not only do they NOT learn their lesson, but they don't see a problem in evil (because for example everyone else does it or it was a case a few decades back).
    It is one of the reasons for me swaying away from the society, Bruno.
    There ARE individuals among 7000000000 people…and I wish I could do stuff for them, even for ONE person, but I don't want to waste my energy for the remaining lot…

    What is the point of the above?
    I don't give a shit about understanding 'them' and I don't need 'them' to understand me…I know I am right, Bruno. It's not the ultimate truth…truth (if exists) is only a metaphysical concept like love and freedom.

    This is a fact, Bruno…But don't worry – you are on my side 🙂

    artur

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *