A Study of Death

As the title suggests, in this post i am going to talk about the case of death, since i recently read the book of Yukio Mishima

"Hagakure Nyumon" , which talks about the path of a Samurai.

Even though this era is far away from our present modern life, i think that by reading this book i took many valuable lessons about how to live my life.  So, according to this writer the path of the warrior is the path towards death, through passion and freedom. And even though this theory might seem obsure or even menacing, having read many similar theories from Greek philosophers (Heraclitus) and also the spirit of old european folklore (Scandinavian Helvegen etc) i think that through this bold pessimism we can head towards light.

In other words, in my eyes Mishima talks about a life worth living with no regrets, so when death comes, i will be able to welcome him a and friend of mine. And i find that a noble and really charming way of life. 

Also, the writer talks about the double edged life of the man, the artist and the warrior. Even though these two qualities are opposed to each other, Mishima believes they compliment each other, like a well formed double edged sword. 

In the end, another thing i found extremely intriguing in his book is his vision towards love. There is lust and there is love. And while a man can easy give away his lust, for this writer love is a secret treasure, meant to be spent really wisely, even stay forever hidden (ok thats too much, hehehe)

All in all in this book i can see once again a great and controversial and definitely not boring writer, who talks about another kind of revolution, a revolution against conservatism , against the threat of the "political correct" , a revolution against boredom and negotiations. 

This book is pretty much like the Fight Club movie. Controversial yet incredibly charming!

Love, Eliza K 

Excerpt from his work in Greek:

"Στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία η σημασία του θανάτου ξεχνιέται συνεχώς. Ή μάλλον δεν ξεχνιέται-θα ήταν ακριβότερο να λέγαμε πως ό,τι έχει σχέση με αυτό το θέμα αποφεύγεται. Ο Ράινερ Μαρία Ρίλκε είχε πει ότι ο θάνατος του ανθρώπου έχει γίνει μικρότερος. Δεν πρόκειται παρά για ένα θάνατο που έρχεται στο ψυχρό κρεβάτι ενός νοσοκομείου. Κάτι που πρέπει να τελειώνει όσο γίνεται πιο γρήγορα..."

"Η ανθρώπινη ζωή δεν διαρκεί παρά μια στιγμή. Γι' αυτό πρέπει να την περνά κανείς ευχάριστα. Σ' αυτόν τον φευγαλέο κόσμο, που μοιάζει με όνειρο, το να βρεθεί κανείς στη μίζερη θέση να κάνει μόνο δυσάρεστα πράγματα είναι βλακεία".