black and white

I just finished watching 'Letters from Iwo Jima.' I'm a sucker for almost anything about WWII, primarily the war in Europe. I haven't read much about the war in Asia. But now my interest is once again peaked for the area, so my nightstand will undoubtedly be crowded with some thick tome in no time.

Tonight I am most curious about the idea of honor, and how that means different things to different cultures, even at different times. For the Japanese - at least from the perspective of this film, and from the little that I have read on the subject - honor meant dying for your country: no surrender. When the battle became hopeless, retreat or surrender was not an option. Retreat/regrouping was ordered by several commanders at various times, but was countermanded by others with an order for suicide instead.

I can begin to understand the honor in FIGHTING to the death defending your country. These men knew that Iwo Jima would be the staging point for the US against their homeland. One character summarized the point in fighting this futile, unsupported battle as 'one more day I spend defending this island is one more day of freedom for my family back on the mainland.' How is committing suicide when the battle is lost, instead of retreating to another position to fight another day, or surrendering once you know your cause is lost, honorable? And how is it honorable to shoot a man who chooses to live, instead of following your 'honorable cause' of suicide? How is this instilled in a culture? It's more than simple nationalism or wanting to defend liberty, however you might define that idea. Things I think about in the wee hours. :)


Which brings me to my next noodle-cooker. Black and white. We had a discussion on Sunday about what it means to 'keep the Sabbath Day holy.' One guy gave the example that when visiting his family - who are not of the same faith - they go out to donuts Sunday mornings. It's a family tradition. They don't run around the whole day shopping, and this isn't something he does at home with his own family, but when visiting his folks, they choose to honor this tradition. This is a concession they make toward family harmony.

This reminded me of another friend who had bitter showdowns and battles in the initial merging of the family she came from with the family she was starting with her husband. Her family is a Sunday brunch family, which went completely against how her husband was raised, and how they wanted their own family to operate. As you might imagine, this caused HUGE amounts of contention. Sort of going against the whole point of the Sabbath endeavor in the first place . . .

But I digress. A comment was made to the effect that if you've already 'broken the Sabbath,' what difference does it make if you refrain from shopping. To me - and I tend towards hyperbole at times, this is true - that's like hitting someone and saying 'Well, I already assaulted you, I might as well just stab you and finish you off.' Or 'I've broken one of the 10 Commandments, might as well just throw in the towel and do the other 9.' It's so obvious TO ME why that slippery slope argument is nonsense that I can't even articulate why it doesn't make any sense! Yet from this other person's perspective, they really can't see why there's any point in trying to mitigate the damages.

How would you answer this? It might sound silly, but this question is really causing this person a lot of pain and frustration. We can talk about 'judging what's right for someone else' another late night.