The Tale of Theseus

In a classroom in an unknown town, during a lesser-known era, an old man— a teacher—gathers his students around for a quick, if not inconsequential, story. They look up to him with great enthusiasm and immense trepidation. The old man speaks first by saying, “There was a great man who accomplished many great things, from razing kingdoms to the ground and building utopias atop them, to gathering the world’s riches and placing them in the hands of many. He was a great man in all senses of a purpose befitting the word. Though he started as a simple farmhand, he did not even have the capability to buy himself dinner without the help of his employer. He may have been meager and plain, but he dreamed like a king—like a man who would be given the world by God, not to watch over it but to shape it as he once did. However, it all changed one day as he was raising the well; he heard a jingle, an insignificant result inside. It has always been rocks, pebbles, or something unpleasant, but this time it was something disparate. As he looked into the bucket, he found a ring— a ring that had no special color, shape, or meaning; it was quite unostentatious. Though the moment he put the ring on his finger, it all changed. That farmhand was gone; after that moment, he was laid to rest in the dirt and mud that birthed him. Now he was no farmhand; he was what he had always seen himself as, had always envisioned himself becoming. He was now the rightful heir to the world; he was now who all men would crown king.” After his monologue, the children, young in age, looked at him wondering what was next. There was always a point to his stories; they were ready to leave, so they looked on with counterfeit anticipation. The old man asks them, “So was the boy the farmhand or the king? Was he always that boy who shoveled dirt, who was insignificant to the world, or was born that king, that great conqueror who would one day leave his mark on this Earth for millennia?” The children again looked on confused, but one girl raised her hand and said, “Why can’t he be both?” The old man, taken aback by the response with no agreement or disproval, asked her simply to “explain.” The girl went on to say, “He always saw himself as a king, right? And even though he was a farmhand, he just needed the opportunity to be that king, and he finally found it. So he’s both, right? The king and the farmhand.” The old man with a sagacious look said simply, “Class dismissed; we will pick back up tomorrow”.

Simply yes, people can change or, for better distinction, concerning the topic: orient themselves differently than what they were a time before the current period. Life, especially through stages of growth, is about change in the form determined by this paragraph. Through middle school, high school, and college, we are continually becoming something different, something more or different than what we were. It is the natural course of things during life. We are no more the same at the age of five than we are at the age of eighteen. We adapt and evolve through life experiences, struggles, encounters, and whatever form inspiration takes in order for our identity to change to something new. Though this change does stop at some point for some people. After a certain period, we become complacent, or the better idea is that we do not encounter anything that evokes “change.” At some point in our lives, we stop replacing the wood boards on the ship; for some, it may be 30, others much older, but for all of us, that ship settles into its old boards and sails without a doubt and faces the coming torrents as is. This may happen because one refuses to change or simply life throws nothing at them that asks to make the effort to “change.” Change is usually brought on from things such as life situations, whether they be serious or tedious; they can cause one to look up and notice that they need to better alter themselves in order to reach the desired outcome whatever it may be. This is how life is generally; this is not the dispute or question. We all face challenges and tribulations that break us down but build us back up again. We can only appreciate our successes and grow stronger from our failures. This has happened and will continue to happen to all of us, as this is our shared lot in life. We all have our set foundations, our roots of who we are to our cores as people. Through growth and change, we grow, improve, add, and remove from this foundation and structure that we have built that we consider ourselves. This comes from, as we have said, life experiences but also figuring out who we are and what our goals are. We shift and change in order to pursue the motive and end that we want to reach.

With all this being said, this brings me to look at a popular paradox known as the ship of Theseus. In the exact words of Plutarch, the paradox goes, “The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, in so much that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same”. So this is a question of whether or not the ship is the same ship as it was so long ago or if it is a different ship every time those old planks are replaced. This paradox is comparable for questioning ourselves as we go through life and change. Are we the same person we were from the beginning of the journey, or do we become something different at every stop as we replace and modify our identity? That is the question, as futile as it is, in what state is the final classification of the ship of Theseus?

Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble), 1878–1944

One day, I was coming from the mountains with a group of friends and decided to play music that I believed to fit the mood and chose the then-recent Andre 3000 album “New Blue Sun.” It is an album consisting mostly of Andre 3000 playing various forms of flutes among other instruments. It was an album asked for greatly but did not come in the form desired by many people. The biggest thing is that it is a woodwind instrument album by Andre 3000, also known as three stacks. Three stacks can be considered and is considered by a great many as one of the best rappers of all time and was formerly a part of the Atlanta rap group known as Outkast featuring him and Big Boi. They created six studio albums together all reaching some form of acclaim, and after listening to all of them for this piece, ATLiens being at the top with Aquemini being a close second. Outside of my opinion on music, the point is that Andre 3000, three stacks, Dre, Sunny Bridges, Johnny Vulture, Benjamin Andre released an album with no rapping and with pure instrumentation. The question is why? In previous years, images and videos of three stacks usually show him playing the Mayan flute, but most people still thought he would release an album featuring his rapping ability. Though after I listened to the album, I watched an interview with Dre, and in it, he stated how he does not have anything to pull from anymore to produce and create those same songs that he used to. Though do not mistake this with him no longer having the ability to rap as when he does feature on a song, it is most likely the best feature and best song of that year, using Kanye’s “Life of the Party” as an example. However, the point is that things and people are not what they once were and might, as they try, cannot find the inspiration or energy to produce that same product. He somewhat even laments with this struggle in a way through the first song from “New Blue Sun” titled, "I Really Wanted to Make A “Rap” Album but this is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me”. Quick tangent: the album is filled with ridiculous titles, and I would like to say some deeper meaning warrants them, but most likely, I picture 3 stacks just coming up with them in the studio randomly. Back to the subject, this is often a thing with artists in general but more primarily rappers, as people always say “I miss the old so and so.” Like Johnny Vulture, most rappers are not the same early twenty-year-olds they used to be and cannot find that same spark or topic to talk about. Life goes on; things change, and whether their material came from necessity, living situation, thoughts, dreams, or simply life, often times that has long since passed. Not even through the creative process but simply, us as people are not as we once were. Change may be, at the end of the day, something that is quite simply out of our control. Whether we would like to rap or not, it is not up to us as we go down these winding roads and jagged paths, we are born anew from the varying terrains we encounter. We forcefully must adapt and evolve from a previous state. As much as Andre 3000 wanted to make a rap album, he could not, at least not in the full sense of everything that is required of such a task. Though in this same vein, he is still Andre Lauren Benjamin, the rapper, and one of the best to do it and still shows that he can when those opportunities show themselves. As far as we may come, as different as we may feel we are two different beings or a plethora of parts making up a whole. We are that one singular person, that one singular man or woman who rapped or committed those deeds long ago. As waves crash against a rock for centuries reshaping it with every storm and impact, is it not the same rock, the same cliff precipice that many a man has stood on to look out at the vastness of the ocean rethinking their predicament? Is it not the same that has stood by, a bystander to both deeds small and large? It is the nature of the thing I believe to stand and watch as the sun falls and the moon rises and day in and out be witness to the inspiration and evolution of man. It does not have the same herculean strength that it once did or have the same face it once bore but nonetheless it still treats its many patients and receives its flaying as that is its purpose in this life, no matter how much the exterior has changed.

Follow me as we take a step back to take two steps forward. Since time immemorial, we as a people, as societies, have set rules and boundaries to hold one another accountable and to guide ourselves to higher standards. They keep us in check—our laws and rules that are instilled in us as children through adulthood. They are branded and tagged on us as if each country had its own cabinets full of assorted numbers for each person. Each law has a purpose, a reason for its creation, from those of old to new. Even when times change and years go past, that old man who we look at with disdain and odium deserves a little sympathy, as it was the laws of his time, the rules burned into his flesh that have created the abhorrent beast. But honestly, what’s the point? Really, why have all these laws demanding what we are supposed to do and what is wrong? Are we as a species so disgusting that without them we would tear each other apart?  Many would say the answer is yes, and maybe that would be right. I go back and forth a lot of times, but both sides have their arguments for the case. But aside from the nature of man—a topic not of interest currently—the better, or at least the question I care about is, are the laws inherent? Are we creatures that have made these laws for better facilities, or are they born in us? Do these laws make us beings of rationality, or are we given that at birth also? When looking at the “A Treatise of Human Nature,” Hume believes that no action is virtuous without a previous antecedent virtuous motive. In this form of thought, he concerns acts of justice living in the same realm. Meaning that first, justice is not a natural virtue or in the sense of natural as we believe it to be. It is only so natural, as he says, “to mean what is inseparable from the species.” It is more acutely to say that justice arises from the human sentiments of sympathy and empathy rather than something that is inherent to the soul. Justice is only so natural since it promotes stability and harmony within society as a whole. This is to say for many virtues, motives, and actions regarding society. They are what tame us, bind us to the rules and subtleties that we must abide to be upstanding citizens. Though this may be a social construct, how agreeable is it to still abide by it? How beneficial is this really to the individual when society has no hand in your success?

The One Ring from the film and book series Lord of the Rings, and bear with me here, gives its wielders powers depending on who they are. From what is shown the most when Hobbits, and more particularly Frodo, wears the ring, they have the ability to turn invisible. Though if Sauron were to wear the ring, he would hold immense power. The gist is that The One Ring grants its wielder the ability to have some sort of power and control to varying degrees but nonetheless significant. Please follow as there is a point to this, but first, we must go back to the origin of the One Ring which is the Ring of Gyges created by Socrates in the Republic. The Ring Gyges is similar, but its only power is to grant people invisibility. Not so much created to take over the world but manufactured for a thought experiment between Glaucon and Socrates. In the second book of the Republic to keep things short Glaucon asks Socrates if being a just person is really worth it and if it truly has a benefit. His point is that justice and laws that bolster it are created from those who lack the power to do injustice and have suffered. And from these covenants, rules, and laws, we are now commanded to be just and lawful. This is, he says, the intermediate between the best and the worst. The best doing injustice without penalty and the worst suffering it without revenge. This finally is where the ring of Gyges comes into play in the conversation. A shepherd in service to the ruler of Lydia finds the ring and uses it to not only sleep with his wife but kill him and take his kingdom. The purpose of the thought experiment is to say that if a man who is as just as any other were to acquire the ring, he would do the same. He would steal, murder, and cheat with no repercussions to deter him from so. So the question is why are we just or at least strive to be? Is it as Glaucon says because we are unable to commit injustice and have suffered it greatly. Or are we just because it is the right thing to do? The two sides to this story are then the first being that being just is the right thing to be although hard and somewhat futile at times it is what is right. The second story is that there is no reason to be just in truth. Except for religious purposes what good does it bring rather making one feel as though they are just in their actions. Obviously, most people do not think in the view of the second story. As Glaucon says it is better to be thought just believed to be just and do injustice in the shadow. Aside from this more generally for life, it is better to be a just man as an adage goes “good things happen to good people” or maybe that is what those who are just want you to believe. This is a captivating and enthralling topic and is given more breadth in the Republic and A Treatise On Human Nature, but as it concerns this piece it is interesting to look at it through the thought of change. Back to the ring of Gyges, say you were the man that found the ring, that committed those acts of evil, and became the man on the mountaintop in the end. Though as most people who reach it and stand alone they find it fleeting and the view all too mundane for what was taken and lost on the ascent up. What if they made it a point to climb down? To return to the person who was before the lying, the cheating, the killing, before the man who fought with no holds barred. What if they decided to change?

Shifting from Professor Shane to Nerd Shane, one series that is important in this discussion is an anime manga and named Rurouni Kenshin. The protagonist of the series, known previously as Hitokiri Battosai, was an assassin during the Meiji era in Japan. From these experiences, he chose to leave this life behind and began protecting the people of Japan. More importantly, he vows to never kill again and becomes a changed man now named Himura Kenshin. The show and manga that I remember fondly and partially revisited for this piece feature Kenshin living this new life, meeting and protecting people along the way. It is a story, in part, about becoming a new person and doing good. It is the belief that one can overcome their past, that though they may have been a man capable of great calamity, that does not take away your right and your ability to become a godsend to the world. As Saint Augustine once said, "there is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future." Are we not greater than our worst actions? We should at least be given the ability to right those wrongs, even though they cannot be erased, they can be redeemed by giving something back, making the world a better place. Flowery in thought, but as I thought about it and rewatched and reread Kenshin, it is a fair point to make and a belief to have. If we cannot allow for the pariahs, monsters, hellions, and villains of our own society to treat themselves to become better, to improve, then are we as great of a nation as we claim to be? After reading Kenshin again, I noticed that change costs something of us. It is not simply deciding to be something new and becoming it, but it is working and giving something in return to become that new person. Whether it is time, money, sweat, or tears, change is not free. One quote that stood out to me after revisiting Kenshin is this: “Just because you die doesn’t mean that the people you killed will come back to life. Instead, using this sword to save just one more soul is repentance in the true sense”. Battosai the manslayer may have been a man of great destruction in his past; now Kenshin, the man who protects those he meets, rights those wrongs with every life he saves. It may be a futile endeavor, sure, but it is one that must be made, or better yet, is the payment to the people we have wronged and the Gods we pray to. Not to receive a new life, but to repent in every waking moment for those sins that once blackened the world.

The story of Rurouni Kenshin is a beautiful one of change and hope, but there is an interesting dichotomy between the story and the creator itself. Before we delve into this topic and heavy things in general, it always brings me back to one of my favorite scenes from The Wire. In the scene, characters, a part of the newspaper, are discussing a feature on the problems of inner-city schools. The character Scott says, “You don’t need a lot of context to examine what goes on in one classroom.” Gus replies, “Really? I think you need a lot of context to seriously examine anything.” In November of 2017, in Japan, police found DVDs of child pornography in the office of a man. Soon after, they raided the man's home and found hundreds of DVDs containing the same explicit content. In February 2018, he was fined 200,000 yen or the equivalent of 1,500 US dollars. Shortly after this, the man began to work again on his popular series. This man is the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki. This is without a doubt a truly disgusting and vile act, and the punishment does not seem to be anywhere close to the equivalent of the crime. However, let’s take a detour here and look at Japan and its history as a whole.

Japan has been, in its past, a deeply isolationist country and was isolated from the world for more than 200 years. Japan originally had a feudal system in place and has had many shogunates, in simple terms, military rule, throughout its vast history and periods. This was until the great and peaceful country I call home came and forced them to open their borders in 1854 with the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa. From this point, Japan had to change, interesting considering the topic at hand. After the fall of the shogunate, due to internal and external stress from the land of the free abroad, led to the Meiji era and Japan's rapid modernization from 1868-1912. From this point on, Japan, through want and primarily necessity, grew in power and prominence in order to rival those they both called ally and enemy, given how tides would eventually shift due to the fickle natures of truces and treaties. From the Russo-Japanese war to the end of World War I and not receiving the respect of the other nations, even though they fought on the side of the allies, whether it's because of some other factors or the more obvious answer is because of their race. This led them to find other ways of growing stronger and taking land.

Understanding Japan during World War II and before, one should understand the actions taken and committed. The phrase “my country right or wrong” is an edict that held a lot of sway in Japan and in most countries that fought during the Second Great War. The history, causes, effects, and extent of actions that took place in the Pacific theater concerning Japan are vast, to say the least, and can easily be multiple pieces of its own. Dan Carlin’s Supernova in the East series goes into great depth and detail that I am sadly not allowed, from the nuances of how people are encouraged to go to war, cultural and economic necessities and wants, and most importantly, why acts are committed and the context that causes them. For the purpose of this piece, we will selfishly and unfairly focus more so on the atrocities committed against China. China was chosen as the target given its vast amount of natural resources, and Japan subsequently invaded in 1931. Japan would invade and occupy the province of Manchuria. Six years after this, a full scale invasion would commence, leaving 20 million Chinese dead, with figures being higher or lower depending on the account. Japan would also invade other countries in Asia such as Indochina, the Philippines, Malaya, the Dutch West Indies, and Burma. This would also increase the death total by millions. The most prominent of massacres committed was the massacre or rape of the Chinese city Nanking that took place during December in 1937. There is an estimated 200,000 deaths from this event alone, and an estimate of 20,000 women were raped. An event described obviously through many words and by many accounts but ironic before their own holocaust, The German embassy in Japan wrote back to Berlin describing acts committed by an entire army as “bestial machinery”. There were not other mass murders by Japan to this scale, but this served as the blueprint for Japan's continued invasion of China. Now this is not to pick on Japan or single them out as a villain in World War II. It is all too easy in war and conflict to create a central figure and place them as the devil in which our holy crusades are mounted against. Though in war there are never really any winners and especially in great wars both sides can be argued to be both devil and liberator. The United States itself obviously released the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, but oftentimes the bombings of Tokyo are left out and forgotten. Operation Meetinghouse was its name, killed around 100,000 people and left millions homeless and the personal accounts make both bombings nuclear and napalm create an unsavory taste in one's mouth. This all goes to say that there are no heroes in war, only victims and patriots who fought and suffered thinking “my country right or wrong”.

Japan has committed many an atrocity, many a war crime, in the pursuit of becoming a better country, as countries often do. No one or thing has ever made a decision that they believed to be truly and wholly bad. We do things believing the outcome has some benefit to us and those around us, no matter the cost. And so it was done by Japan in World War II, and so were the consequences brought down upon them for such actions. Though we can all agree Japan is a different country from those violent days of the past. They have changed, they have grown, they have improved. We no longer see them as the terror in the East, the looming cloud in the Pacific theater. However, as much as they have changed and moved forward, the past is near, step right behind them. As it is for Battousai the manslayer. Though the stark difference being Battousai chose his change, welcomed it, and walked into his redemption. He understood his past, saw his demons, and chose to exorcize them. Japan was a victim of their own. Japan was mandated to evolve, as if it was necessitated to grow, to consume, to become more than the isolated country it once was in order to not be devoured by the gourmands that were surrounding them. Japan, like every other country and man, can never run away from what they have done and the crimes they have committed against other people. It's almost as if it is branded into the very soil upon which they stand and the soul that they house. Scarring and peeling later become bold for all eyes to see. They may walk a different path now, maybe a higher one, but their road has been paved by the sins of the past, and with every step they take forward, it is also a step where they feel the heaviness of their foundation.

Their actions during World War II and led to the then dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan, whether needless or right. From here, the home of the brave again comes back valiantly and helps to usher in democracy it ever so loves in 1945. Japan in the late 1800s was an isolationist and fairly underdeveloped country to becoming an emerging superpower out of fear of being overrun and overtaken by the torrent and disease that are the western diets of control and influence from European countries and America. This period of change all took place in about, give or take, 45 years. Which is not a lot of time for a country to develop and can lead to some things being left in the foreground. As we look at Japan, we see it as the land of the rising sun, this foreign futuristic place so ahead of us with technology we could only wish to acquire. But in truth, given its history and rapid growth and eventual bombing, it is a place that still somewhat has those isolationist ties and old traditions and social beliefs. Japan’s rise from a feudalistic society to a modern-day democracy was at record speed, but that price of such momentum lacks growing pains which are pains most firmly needed in the growth of society. This will lead to the previous more pressing topic, but first to look at the growth and improvement of Japan, it is not only important to seeing the effects of imperialism and the great American machine but more importantly the context of the piece, the ship of Theseus. We would consider Japan the same country, would we not? Though at the same time, the people who went toe to toe with the world's superpowers and those who were fighting to stay away from the coming blitzkrieg of the west, are they really the same people? As it seems change comes from many things but necessity is most paramount in some instances. I have always had the notion that we create our own monsters, and in order to stand with Abaddon we must in turn become the calamity itself, no matter the cost and with no holds barred. Even so when we do turn towards this new maxim needed or not it is a harbinger of our own coming fall.

After such rapid growth and extreme turmoil, there are bound to be some things left to the wayside. In this instance it is safe to say one such thing is that of the old tradition of underage marriages. Even in the context of those times it was a heinous thing, but it was done through transaction and the acquiring of more than just a bride. Not to say that underage marriages are a thing or the arousal from looking at underage girls is considered normal in Japan, but I would not say that it is far-fetched to think that they are not seen to the level of degeneracy in the west. As Japan, like most places outside of America, has their thoughts, beliefs, and things that are specific to their culture that we may find strange and unusual. Culture in all instances should be left to experts and those who live there since no amount of reading or context could ever help you to truly understand. Though tolerance of allowing some to like underage girls in a more erotic way underlines this. First things such as Idol culture and phenomena like Lolicon and shotacon, which is the attraction to younger boys and girls in a sexually suggestive manner usually depicted in anime, show that this is not a singular niche event. Also, the age of consent in Japan was 13 and had only been changed prior in 1907 and changed to the age of 16 in 2023. On top of this, the creation, production, and distribution of child or underage pornography were not made illegal until 1999. So not only was the age of consent 13 until this past year in June, but until 1999, anyone could go into a store and buy child pornography. Also, Japan, much like when Commodore Perry came on his great ship to force their borders open, was bullied into enacting these changes. In April of 2008, UNICEF distributed a petition that acquired 21,000 asking Japan to lay restraints both on Junior idols and lolicon anime. And in November of the same year, during an international meeting in Brazil, Japan was called “The Nation of Child Porn”. Even though after all of this fictional depiction is still legal to create and watch. Lastly, until 2014 the ownership of child pornography was legal. Nobuhiro Watsuki was caught three years after this. This all goes to say that the thought or belief that Nobuhiro Watsuki’s incident and preference is a rare instance is highly unlikely and more so rather one of great nuance. When Watsuki began to form these interests and how is not known but what is known is the context and evidence presented. Is it fair to say that Japan’s laws and beliefs around child pornography may have played a role, yes. Is it fair to say that this may be a greater problem than a singular incident concerning a single man, yes. Is it fair to say that Watsuki is not at fault for this crime, no. Is it fair to say that the existing circumstances and breadth of the situation may place it in a gray area, most certainly. Gray area is also a term that came up greatly during my research, which hopefully I am not on a watchlist myself for such investigation, into the case and the current outlook on such preferences in Japan.

Nobuhiro Watsuki was fined the equivalent of $1,500, and shortly after, in the next year, he resumed work on the next arc of Rurouni Kenshin. This seems extremely lenient to me, and I would bet most people in the West think the same. Though, back to context, I am not so sure; to someone in his situation, it may be different. In Japanese culture, there is a great sense from an early age of understanding what is right and wrong and knowing the difference between the two. The presence of shame within Japanese culture does great to emphasize this. I will not act like I am an expert, let alone fully understand its full place in Japanese society, but from what I do understand, shame serves a way, like most things, to create social harmony and structure. It is more about not being a bother to others and carrying yourself as a respectable citizen without bringing unnecessary attention to yourself or your family. It is about carrying oneself in a manner of not bringing any shame or embarrassment. Though with this notion, those who do commit crimes in Japan are able to atone and be brought back into society like regular functioning citizens, which cannot be said the same of the land of the free, ironic as it is. This belief of atonement comes from Japanese culture and Buddhist roots, where no one is bound by their greatest sin and can, through atonement, remorse, and improvement, become an even better person for it. Japan’s conviction rate may say otherwise, being the highest in the world at 99.9%. However, this is misleading, given if it is not a guaranteed conviction, it never goes to court. Again, everyone, say it with me now, going back to context, this may be why Nobuhiro Watsuki received such a sentence. Of course, 200,000 yen is not a lot, but the shame of being a renowned figure in Japan responsible for one of the most popular anime and manga ever created, along with being the mentor to other great future mangaka and having received many awards. Having such an embarrassing act be presented on the national stage after what we have learned, we can understand the punishment internally and externally he has gone through. Does this make his crimes any less detestable? No, not at all, but it does give some perspective on the matter. Japan needed to instruct law not only for the country but for the world, and Watsuki fit the bill. He has gone back to writing and creating his story and even working on a new anime adaption for it. At the end of the day, Japan believes he can change and what better a task than for him to create the story that provides such a beautiful and innocent tale of changing and becoming a better person, as ironic as it is in the situation. Japan believes that he can become a respectable and contributing member of society again. He has paid his dues and can once again bring a story that has changed many people's lives back into the world. Though from the standpoint of us Americans, he not only does not deserve to create such a story but should be thrown under the jail and deemed an outcast. As we have seen from this extensive overview, through the eyes of the Japanese Nobuhiro Watsuki is allowed to change, and is given the ability to be greater than those sins that he has committed; he is allowed to move forward and be better than what he was. This all even goes without saying that such preferences, which are not even a preference, is a paraphilia, a disorder that usually comes from trauma or exposure to it at some point, leaving them with that preference from the age it happened to them. Most with the disorder are non-offenders and have never committed an act harming a young child, so they live with the internal guilt of feeling like an error in the program that should not exist amongst the rest of the code. 

Funny enough, I watched Heat around the same time of researching this, and there is a character in the movie named Donald Breedan who is a former convict himself, and unlike in Japan, we do not allow them to attain remorse or atonement; they are pushed to the wayside without being able to find a job, let alone a career, and are forced to live in halfway houses and somehow get their old lives back. Breedan works at a restaurant that offers him terrible conditions to work, but he has no choice at the end of the day but to work there. Though Robert De Niro’s character, a thief in the movie, offers him a job as a getaway driver, and Breedan, left with nothing else, accepts it. This is not fiction; there are many, many former convicts who find their way back into the prison system because how can they live? How can they survive when no one will even give them a job cleaning toilets? What are you left with other than going back to the very thing that put you in prison, in order to survive in this dog-eat-dog world where the only thing of value is money? Breedan’s crime may not have been to the disgusting level of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s, but even a man with such loathsome preferences is allowed back into society and given the chance to change, but we would never allow the smallest of crimes, especially if committed by someone of color, even more so a black man, to go unnoticed in an interview, let alone redeem themselves. We are so quick to judge, to look on with superiority and malice from the peak that we stand on; we miss often that the peak and superiority we charge ourselves with is just a guise, a facade that allows us to be judge and jury, but of what qualification? I continually find us lacking sufficiency to be an executioner.

We bind ourselves as a society to construct virtues and morals so that we are the mold of an upstanding citizen that we have constructed for ourselves. These are the ties that bind us and keep our base instincts in check. Although, when the smallest glimmer presents itself in the form of a ring giving us the ability to take power without consequence, most are bound to take it and keep the societal persona of good. Whether it is good to be just or seem just and commit injustice later becomes the question, but the better question is when the farmer takes off the ring when he sits with himself and begins to fully commit to justice, can he? After he has murdered the king, taken the kingdom, and become something so distant from the past, can he change? Can he become a just man, forgetting his past, righting the wrongs of crimes long since committed? “You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn’t a man alive able to influence the wolves of Mubi. Some things will never change. A wolf will always be a wolf.” Words of Hajime Saituo from Ruroni Kenshin. Maybe the nature of a man may be set in stone from their actions, their past mistakes and choices, never leaving them, always weighing them down. As the weight grows and continues to hold them, they continue to walk their new path, their new chance at life, what holds and guides them is their belief in becoming better. “I’ve seen belief move cities, make men stave off death. Belief damned a woman, whose heart clung to the hope that another loved her when he did not. Once, it made a man seek immortality and achieve it.” A line from the game Planescape: Torment. I subscribe to the belief that two things can be true at once and that black and tainted as a man or country’s soul may be they are able to change to grow to become something more than what they once were. Our nature is not bound in stasis; it is ever flowing, continuing down the path we create for ourselves. Though our shadow of the man that once was will always follow close behind since there are no two people, no two different men, one before and now. They are the same person walking in equal step on equal footing. They are that same man who created a story about hope and changing one's wrongdoings as they build a brighter future and the same man whose debased preferences will forever haunt him. It is the same country that at all costs strove to become a superpower, that committed crimes against humanity, but the same country that offers remorse to all those who have wronged, as no man or woman is shackled by their worst deed. The same man who is considered one of the greatest rappers to ever do it, who now is in a new path, a new era of his life but still from time to time finds that energy in him once more to create a revolutionary verse is the same man. Heraclitus once said “one cannot step into the same river twice”. We all come from a long way, and we all have farther to walk down our paths as this is a journey. However, as we do it, consider that each man, each woman has come a far way from where they once stood. They have grown and learned and will continue to do so. As a last quote, “never judge a man by where he’s standing because you don’t know how far he’s come.” The ship of Theseus has had its dilapidated boards replaced many times and has taken on a new form in every instance. As much as it has changed and as many boards have been replaced, it is still named Theseus. The ship that has weathered countless storms from the sea. The ship that has docked at ports spanning the world. The ship to captains past and to come. Though every decayed and deteriorated board is gone, Theseus still is and always will be.