Breaking Down for the Better

Disclaimer: Post includes spoilers.

According to the heroine in the Monster, Nina Fortner, “The tree that bends doesn’t break (p. 230)”, when ironically this entire volume (chapter 1-16) is all about Dr. Tenma, a talented neurosurgeon, breaking down. He couldn’t shake the thought that all human lives are not equal. And that a doctor’s job is more than just saving lives (p. 172). He’s a good a doctor, and one that many can trust.

But when politics are thrown into the mix, it complicates his job. What would you do if your boss says someone’s life is more valuable based on their social status? Do you follow your boss blindly to get the promotion? Or do you listen to your conscience and question your superior? What if you listen to your conscience, but then it backfires? This is what happened to Dr. Tenma.

Dr. Tenma breaking down in tears
If we can’t bend, we break

He saved the life of a child nine years ago. At the time, he thought he was performing his duty as a good doctor. But it turns out that the nine year old boy is a serial killer. Does he still think all lives have equal value? That’s a hard question.

This type of question is what got me hooked with the anime, although so far, the manga is better. I’m picking up important cues that I didn’t even know existed. I see more clearly what type of story Naoki Urasawa is trying to tell. These intriguing moral questions do make me think. It makes me think about the holocaust. How did one person motivated the mass to commit crime against their will?

Have you seen the anime? Have you read the manga? Stay tuned for my thoughts on volume 2.

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How to Connect with Friends

If you want a friend just connect to Lain. Place the cursor over the email icon. Then click twice to open the link. Do you have a message? Who is it from?

“It’s me.

I am just conscience

without a body.

Nice to meet you.”

scribbling lines to show messy thoughts

If you iron your thoughts, your reality will appear to make sense. Put words in a dress and yet the meaning is still hidden. Eyes can see everything and yet are still blind.

Just delete bad memories if you don’t want to remember. Just delete yourself if you don’t want to exist. Even if we delete ourselves, we are still connected.

This is a free verse/doodling for the animated series Serial Experiments Lain. What possessed me to watch it? Somehow, I remember an old chat friend telling me this was his favorite anime. He once said, “All you need is one person to believe in you.” I disagree. The only person you need to connect with is yourself. Once you are in tune with yourself, then you can connect with others in a healthy way.

Note: Originally posted on Aug. 21, 2018