One of the most beautiful and inspiring new films from Hollywood is The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise, directed by Edward Zwick from a screenplay by John Logan, Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick.
In a Japanese society heavily influenced by Confucian values of loyalty and fidelity, the admirable system of chivalry upheld by the ancient samurai warriors was called Bushido – emphasizing loyalty, courage, fortitude and sacrifice.
Japan’s ancient samurai culture also showed that in Asian culture, violence and compassion exist side by side, that poetry, beauty and art are as much a part of a warrior’s training as swordsmanship and physical strength.
Hopefully, Filipinos will be able to appreciate the priceless lessons from this epic movie, especially in this country described by Monark Equipment/Caterpillar/AutoMechanika Chairman Jose Antonio "Jan-B" Banson as suffering from a crisis of credibility:
"Nothing is believable anymore. We have become a republic of fake birth certificates, fake marriage certificates, COMELEC anomalies, Jose Pidal, Jose Velarde… People are still asking whether Rico Yan died of bangungot or drugs – because they do not trust police reports.
"People ask whether Mico Sotto fell off the ledge because he was really playing – because they do not trust police reports. It is sad that for a nation of so much human talents and resources, truth has disappeared from our national psyche. That’s why there is pessimism. For a better Philippine economy, we should uphold truth and honor."
At the recent special preview by Warner Bros. led by general manager Francis G. Soliven and SM Group led by cinema manager Steve Uy at The Podium, we were impressed with this fictional saga of how US military officer Captain Nathan Algren had reclaimed his lost soul, courage and honor after overcoming the lures of pragmatism, greed and self-interest. The American soldier’s encounter with Japanese samurai rebel chief Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe) – whose life exemplified Asia’s ideals of loyalty to country, tradition and honor – changes both of them.
In recent years, Harvard-trained economist Dr. Bernardo Villegas, SGV Group founder Washington SyCip, Philippine STAR business columnist Boo Chanco and others had publicly lamented the gradual loss of traditional Confucian values and culture by many younger members of the Chinese community in the Philippines, thus making the Philippine economy less efficient, less entrepreneurial and less globally competitive than our Asian neighbors Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China and others.
How do we keep alive the fire in the belly, the spiritual and moral fortitude of Asia’s past, in order to nourish entrepreneurial drive, rugged character, courageous risk-taking, discipline, frugality and leadership for the 21st century?
In The Last Samurai, Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) cited the inspiring battle between 300 disciplined Greeks versus one million Roman soldiers for three days. In China’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there were also similar inspiring battles with disciplined, fearless, cunning and honorable knights vanquishing their numerically superior and better-armed adversaries.
Perhaps the seven Bushido codes of Japan’s ancient samurai warriors – concepts that are expressed in Japanese kanji words based on Chinese calligraphy and words – can inspire all of us to aspire for higher standards of moral values, discipline, honor and great leadership.