The Last Samurai
by Richard Rohr
Soon after giving the recent conference on “The Spirituality of the Two Halves of Life”, I went to see the movie, The Last Samurai. I heard that it had some good messages in it, and some wonderful Japanese culture and scenery.
I came away with a clear insight into first half of life morality, why it is so attractive and compelling, good for society and culture, but also why it is NOT the Gospel but simply its best counterfeit! It helped me see how utterly courageous, unique, and counter-intuitive the teaching of Jesus really is. His message is not about superior will power or persona discipline, but about something that, when it is authentic, always looks like weakness. Love has to first lose before it can win. This is the paradox that only second half of life people are prepared to understand. In Christian language, death must always precede resurrection.
I came away with a clear insight into first half of life morality, why it is so attractive and compelling, good for society and culture, but also why it is NOT the Gospel but simply its best counterfeit! It helped me see how utterly courageous, unique, and counter-intuitive the teaching of Jesus really is. His message is not about superior will power or persona discipline, but about something that, when it is authentic, always looks like weakness. Love has to first lose before it can win. This is the paradox that only second half of life people are prepared to understand. In Christian language, death must always precede resurrection.
To summarize and oversimplify the book and movie The Last Samurai, the story has Japanese culture at a crossroads between Westernization, modern warfare, better technology, and the ancient Samurai culture of honor, discipline, tradition, and the martial arts that had created a very attractive “spirituality” and noble worldview. One is in awe at the perfection of their lives, and the control that characterizes their every move. Naturally, one identifies with the noble Samurai culture, and laments the later, less honorable war technology.
Tom Cruise, playing Nathan Aldren, symbolizes that change of identity, and he becomes a hero in our minds by the end of the movie, as does the whole Samurai culture. I myself was in tears as the noble Samurai were being mowed down or committed heroic suicide rather than suffer a loss of honor or bear the shame of losing. Who would not be moved by such focus, courage, and determination? They were self sacrificing heroes for what they believed.
But eventually it struck me that both parties, the Japanese army and the noble Samurai, were both in first half of life morality and were in most ways morally equivalent. They were both demanding blood and ego survival. It was all about power. The Samurai were merely MORE disciplined and boundaried in the ways of ego, control, and power—and we admire that and call it religion! We have, for most of history, confused willpower with love, endurance with grace, ego control with ego surrender. It is probably refined culture and even good social “religion”, but we cannot continue to call it Christianity. It is not the Gospel.
But eventually it struck me that both parties, the Japanese army and the noble Samurai, were both in first half of life morality and were in most ways morally equivalent. They were both demanding blood and ego survival. It was all about power. The Samurai were merely MORE disciplined and boundaried in the ways of ego, control, and power—and we admire that and call it religion! We have, for most of history, confused willpower with love, endurance with grace, ego control with ego surrender. It is probably refined culture and even good social “religion”, but we cannot continue to call it Christianity. It is not the Gospel.
Most people will continue to think of it as a high level of virtue, when it is still ego based, shame based, and death based. It passes for high morality, and it probably is in anyone un-influenced by Jesus. It is excellent and admirable first half of life morality, just like Eagle Scouts, Marines, Opus Dei, and patriots are in America. Tribalism always substitutes loyalty to the group for universal love, and unfortunately most tribe members buy it. It looks like superiority and sacrifice—and it is—but only inside of its own closed system, a system that has not been infected by the “virus” of the Gospel. Unfortunately, it is inside of that closed system, tribal morality, that most people live their whole lives. They confuse group admiration with God admiration. (John 5:44)
The teaching of Jesus, what we call the Gospel, is clearly second half of life morality, and thus will always be a minority position (As is the authentic teaching of the Buddha). In what first appears to be an upside down world, he teaches that powerless is the only road to true power, vulnerability is the doorway to the soul, killing is never an advancement nor noble, but always a reactive repetition and a dead end. Jesus is not a West Point cadet, a well regulated seminarian, a Samurai or any will-to-power (Adler) whatsoever. He is a crucified lover, and appears to be losing and failing by every measurable criteria. Only those who have passed over themselves will be ready to fully receive him. The following of Jesus is the only path that teaches us how to win by losing, and not by control, self control, or superiority games. It is about giving up control not taking control. Jesus absolutely levels the playing field of salvation, which is where we all are anyway--and where he frees us to be. But be forewarned, it will always leave the ego dissatisfied. We would rather have satisfying untruth than dissatisfying truth, which is another name for the Gospel.
Richard Rohr, OFM
