The Samurais

The history of mankind can be portrayed through particular materialism and consciousness of every different stage of social evolution. However, this has been mostly characterised by using new technology to enslave the masses every single time to a authority. Today is one such period and the most advanced we´ve ever seen. However, history no longer requires such obedience to authority. In fact, this new enslavement is becoming counter-productive to our evolution. A crisis of the social system has started... however people will only realise this once they have fully fallen on their faces which is unfortunate since this might mean much suffering and many casualties... which if you are not stupid enough, have already seen in the "periphery" of the world.

I came to these views after analysing a very particular historical scenario: The Samurais. I watched the Samurai movie (2003) with Tom Cruise. Of course it´s a Hollywood action piece with very heroic and Americanised themes and even after doing my own research on the history of the real story, which the film supposedly follows, I found very little in common. However, it did get me thinking on some very interesting concepts. What does the word Samurai mean? It means to serve; and this usually meant serving the higher nobility of Japan. It was an elite class of warriors dedicated to protecting the ruling class. However, their philosophies do spark interest. Their simple philosophy (as portrayed by the movie) "was to devote themselves utterly to a set of moral principles, to seek a stillness of their mind and to master the way of the sword".

To create the future we must learn from the past; and imagine if these views could be used to advance history. A revolutionary for me is a catalyst of social development. If the Samurai principles, which themselves derive from the Buddhist philosophy of Bushido, could be used to propel Japan from backwardness to capitalist modernity faster than any other country in the world, then so can we use their philosophies to develop our consciousness. Hence I developed the motto of: "What does it mean to be a Revolutionary? To devote oneself utterly to a set of moral principles (critiques of the current state of things), to seek a stillness of your mind and to master the way of the consciousness." For it is our consciousness which ultimately controls us. To free oneself of the social consciousness which is the prime force behind all our drives and thoughts everyday, will be one of the grandest Revolutionary acts.  Hence I started this note with the first paragraph. History no longer requires obedience to authority like it was a requirement for the Samurais to serve the elite. However, if we do not transform our consciousness fast enough we will fall flat on our faces. Of course one way or another we will advance because that is the sequence of history but will not it better to speed up our development?

The above image depicts the battle of Shiroyama; or the last stand of the Samurais against the modernisation of the Meiji restoration period, which transformed Japan from a traditionally Feudal society into a Western Capitalist one.

Japan is a great example of rapid historical development. A feudal society in the 19th Century it became an imperialist capitalist power in the Great War period of the beginning of the 20th century and towards the end of the same century it eclipsed the whole world in consumer technology. Can you imagine? A backward country for several centuries, but with strong religious and moral principles, managed to beat the progress achieved by the Industrial Revolution of the ´West´ in less than 50 years! Surely we can learn something from this progress.