Lacking Support? No Worries, Fiction Is There

There are times in life when we feel like everything and everyone is working against us. No matter what we try, things just seem to not be on our side. People refuse to agree with our values, morals, or beliefs. Others criticize everything about us, berating even our personalities. We even begin to remember a common Japanese proverb; 出る杭は打たれる。(The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.) 

If we happen to be that stake, then should we allow ourselves to be hammered? When everything seems to be falling apart, should we really just sit down and whine about it? Should we curse our lives, and bear the burden of hatred? How about confirming to the demands and opinions of others? Definitely not! Have the guts to never give up!

I've begun to notice how much pressure there is on people today. Yes, there are the daily stresses, financial concerns, and health worries, but I'm not talking about these. I'm talking about the expectations that are placed on us. No matter what path you take throughout life or the things you're going to believe in, society expects us to behave in different ways. While there's nothing completely wrong with this, it ends up turning us into a group that can easily be controlled and manipulated by what other people think. Somewhere along the line, we can forget how to follow our hearts.

So how does this relate to anime? Well, lets take a few steps back. For myself, I sometimes have trouble finding people who support my view of things, after all everyone is different. While it's not necessarily their fault for thinking a certain way, it's somewhat discouraging when people make it seem like I'm the only one who thinks a certain way.

It's also a little hard to find role models in our lives that are human. We idolize celebrities and other famous people, but they may not necessarily be good role models. If I've learned anything from life, the people we look up to and respect may not even be the people we think they are. When it comes to anime, it's a little different. We (usually) get to know the characters personally, as we are literally watching their lives unfold.

Like my previous post, "Our Personalities Are Linked to Our Anime," I feel we're drawn to anime and characters that possess qualities or personalities similar to what we like, or our own. Therefore it should be easy to find role models in anime. Since we're not bound by the rules and regulations of society when it comes to anime, we're basically free to act of our own will and heart.

While this doesn't really solve the problem of the troubles that take place in our lives, is a great way to remind ourselves that there's someone like us everywhere. The person who created that anime, character, video game, manga, television show, or whatever else...is like you. They think the same way, at least to a certain extent.

With this way of thinking, even if we're alone, we can be assured that there's someone like us out there in this vast world. Winning the battle of loneliness isn't easy, but it's even harder to keep going forward when all odds are against you. Whatever happens, never give up, never lose yourself, and keep following your heart.