The Samurai Spirit
One thing in this world that intrigues me the most is the Japanese.
Not because of their obsession for their emperor, not because of their rich cultural heritage, it's their spirit in them that led to great success worldwide in terms of economy, technology and military.
Little was known about the Japanese before World War II. All the world knew was that it was a relatively small nation with big population, with an all-powerful and influential emperor and rich cultures. Soon, their nation became so powerful in economic and military prowess they began waging warfare against the powerhouses of the West.
No, they weren't strong enough to defeat the West. They were blown into dust by two atomic bombs. It might have levelled the infrastructure and shattered their morale right to the core, but it didn't nullify their spirits.
This is something I like calling the samurai spirit. The samurai have so much honour in their duty they are willing to die for their own honour and most of all, the emperor.
Rebuilding their nation wasn't an easy task at all. It was the mentality in the Japanese, the willpower to regain their lost pride. Within thiry-odd years of rebuilding the infrastructure and economy, Japan became the second-largest economy in the world.
After World War II, the Americans' economy flourished the most. It was an advantage to them after defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Investments poured into Wall Street. But on the other side of the world, Japan had to start from scratch.
For now, Japan are superior in technology and economy. They have learnt a fine lesson through the war and now, alongside the engineering/automobile superpower Germany, they have gunned their way through the ranks of economic growth. The fact that among three of the world's largest economic powers, Japan and Germany lie second and third respectively, and both nations had to begin from scratch after the war.
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad once told Malaysians about looking to the East (Dasar Pandang ke Timur), looking at the Rising Sun. Look at the spirit of Japan.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at 2:41 pm and is filed under ViewPoint. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
