When did parents start wishing their children to be “good” and “healthy”? If society is stable, that wish feels natural. But what if it were an age of chaos? Would parents then wish their children to be “cunning” or even “evil”? From today’s values, that thought feels chilling.
The shape of “goodness” shifts with time. Not long ago, it was considered good to enter a good school, find a good job, marry, and have children. But if we force that pattern today, it only creates suffering.
This thought brought to mind a preview line from Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Belzen Files, episode 3 “Squad”:
Squad is brothers, squad is family. … Don’t lie!
On the battlefield, even the word “family” invites nothing but suspicion and cold laughter. “Brothers” and “family” can sound less like warmth and more like coercion and exploitation.
In the end, the age we are born into defines our sense of “good.” Even ideas that seem monstrous can prevail, depending on the times.
So what about me? If I were thrown into such chaos… could I, like Shinran Shonin, remain a “foolish good man” and die without regret? Honestly, I’m not confident.
Still, these are the kinds of foolishly serious thoughts I drift into. Just hearing a VOTOMS preview, I find myself wandering into strange reflections. Absurd, perhaps, but that’s who I am.
日本語版note:
親鸞聖人とボトムズ。乱世に裏切られる“善”
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