Take me home Wind (The Wind Rises 2013)

The Wind Rises

Studio Ghibli anime left us once and for all

with a beautiful and meaningful film.

I had been a fan of Ghibli's fims since I was young.

For those of you out there who have not watch

The Wind Rises

please DO so.

I would love to share what I learned from it.

But first, a brief synopsis.

Read it from Wikipedia.

Link to The Wind Rises plot

***

I believe I can fly

1. There are dreams just for us if only we search harder

Jiro intended to become a pilot. But was forbade due to his poor eyesight.
But he did not give up on his aviation dream. Instead he decided to design planes.

We tend to think that changing our dreams due to reality restrictions is just as bad as giving up on it. No. In this case, we need to learn to be flexible. The world do not revolve around us. So are the people living on it. We are just merely an individual who can dream big. 

Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting you to quit dreaming. But don't just dream dream. 

Dream dreams. Much dreams. 

And sometimes, you may be amazed of how much you actually love the other one more but never realize all because you were so concentrated on one only.

Just as Jiro, he realized he wasn't totally in love of flying planes. He was in love with aviation, the field and the idea of aircraft itself. By reading the aviation magazine, he realized that there is more to aviation than just piloting. He could be an aircraft designer! And he was reassured of his choice when he dreamt of meeting Caproni, the famous Italian aircraft designer, who told him, that building planes is better than flying them. 

What am I looking at?

2. Know yourself

Five years later, Jiro is travelling to Tokyo by train to study engineering 
in the University of Tokyo.

Jiro understood his own ability and capability. He was called the genius by Kurokawa when introduced to his colleagues. So we can surely infer that he excelled in the courses related to aviation engineering such as mathematics and physics. 

This idea struck me hard as well. When I was younger, I had tons of dreams. I wanted to become a chef, a fashion designer, a comic artist, a model, a singer, an author, a doctor, a lecturer, a pianist, a musician, an actor, a famous swimmer, and so on. I think I should have an award for most ambitions kid of all time. But as I grow up, I began to know myself deeper. I can play the piano but not superb. I can draw patterns and that's it. I can sing but limited vocal range. I can cook but mostly fail. I can swim but slower. I am short for a guy so can't be a model. And the only good thing I can do with confident, is study biology and chemistry and teaching. 

So I decided to choose to be a doctor. 

Because I also soon realize I want to heal the sick. And I am serious about it. And since my qualifications allow me to do so, I decided to apply for Medicine in university. 

If I were to force myself into the career I once dream of, say, a comic artist, I would not enjoy my life much, even though it was my dream. Because I cannot draw well. Not even a face. So that's it. Comic artist will remain a dream, and nothing more. 

Some people in this world can do many things and excel in all of them, but not most of us. And it's not wrong. We can't be Jack of all trades, at least, we can be master of one, right? 

Don't just because you one dream means you have to go for that.

Look around, look again. Broaden your view. Enrich your knowledge. Know more. Who knows, you might actually fall in love with something you may never know when you were ten.

God dam it she's heavy

3. Be humble

He meets a young girl named Hahoko travelling with her maid:
when the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 hits,
Nahoko's maid breaks her leg, and Jiro carries her to Nahoko's family.
He leaves without giving his name.

I have personally met people who loves to brag of their good deeds. One thing you have to know is that the more you brag about your good deeds, the less goodness it lies within the deed. Instead, it might actually do the opposite. People will think you did that so-called good deed just to gain attention and not out of pure kindness. 

Jiro was depicted as a kind and humble gentleman. He knew that Nahoko was from a rich family seeing how nicely dressed Nahoko was. Yet, he chose to remain silent and did not ask for any reward after helping the girl and her maid. Some may say because he likes Nahoko. It might be true. But it might not be true as well. If Jiro really liked Nahoko at that time, he should leave a name or have her number so he could contact her. But he did not. He chose to help and leave anonymously. This action not only shows how selfless he was, but how humble he could be. And that act of humbleness attracted Nahoko's attention for him.

Just as is taught in the bible through a parable.

When he (Jesus) noticed how the quests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable : 

''When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 

If so, the host who invited of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, "Friend, move up to a better place.''

Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests.

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, 

and those humble themselves will be exalted.'' 

- Luke 14:7-10

when can we see this to come true

4. Do all things with good intentions

He dreams again of Caproni, who tells him that the world is for the beauty of planes,
even if humankind might put them to ugly purposes.

We might sometimes blame our actions and decisions, or the things we created are put into the destruction of mankind. 

But that is not our fault. 

Man is born to do something. Not just anything, but good things. 

Alfred Nobel regretted for inventing the dynamites. It was not his fault that dynamites killed millions of people. Nobel's intention was to make good use of dynamites by exploding mountains and hills to build roads. But his invention was misused by the many evil people.

Let me say something.

Alfred Nobel had only invented dynamites on 1867. 

We had been doing pretty well in killing millions and millions of people in countless wars and battles for the last two century. Way before dynamites were even invented. So?

I strongly disagree that we should halt the progress of technology just because some morons decided to misuse them.

It's not technology we should be blame.

It's human. The evil sinner.

I don't see how us being cavemen living happily ever after.

In fact, some cave societies are cannibals.

So, in whatever we do, as long as we do it in the best intentions to serve the people and to bring peace, we are not to be blame. 

Your inventions, your actions,  your decisions will definitely yield effects. This is inevitable. Yin Yang. Cause and effect. 

Good or bad consequences depends on how we managed our inventions, our actions and our decisions.

Jiro was worried that his aircraft might aid the war. But just as Caproni said, the war will end, but I see the future, where air planes are use not to carry bombs, but people.

We are not God. We cannot stop the world from evil. The least we can do is to bring the most goodness into this world. And hope, that one day, goodness will counter and defeat evil.

wtf

5. Do not give up!

In 1932, Jiro is promoted to chief designer for a fighter plane competition sponsored by the Navy, which ends in failure. Later in 1935, Jiro succeeded in the test flight of his new prototype.

Jiro showed great determination in designing air planes. His first attempted was a total failure when the fighter jet when apart while testing. Jiro was disappointed. So he went to find Nahoko.

It is extremely normal to feel down, sad, disappointed when we fail. But only temporary. After crying it out, we must flip that page, and move on. We cannot afford to linger around that episode, and be constantly sad about it. 

What difference doest it makes even if you won the most-disappointed-person-in-the-world award? NOTHING.

Instead, we are expected to stand up again. Just as a baby trying to walk, falls, and stand back up again, falls again, but stand up again.

Eventually, we will succeed. Eventually, the baby stops falling.

We just walk. Right?

So, we must be strong. Mentally. That nothing in this world is impossible. I am not saying you try to jump off a building and start flapping so you can fly. Or asking your broom to fly. Let's be logical and sensible.

Sometimes in life, small things stumble us. You failed in your exams. Or you failed to sign that contract. Or you fail to date the girl you love. So what? DO again.

Nobody is born to be Einstein. Even Einstein fails sometimes.

Each time we fall, we gain. Each time we hurt, we learn.

Each time we lose, we gain. Each time we fail, we learn.

And in the end, we will eventually succeed.

For we lose the value of success, if it's easy to achieve.

So stay strong. Be determined (not stubborn, it's different).

And that is what I learn

from the simple yet touching story of

The Wind Rises.

Fly my love fly!

Thank You for your time.