The alluring writing of Murakami is still failing to disappoint me. The book of 'Kafka on the Shore' has just come across two feminists who rapidly argue back with baseless accusations. As the book aptly puts the problem with these people is merely the lack of imagination; T.S. Elliot refered to these as 'hollow people'.
"Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe." - Oshima, Kafka on the Shore
And this has truth, in the background of today's political climate everyone merely talks about terrorism and political correctness. Intolerance isn't breeding in Afghanistan, it is breeding everywhere and the one thing that intolerance truly stifles is the power of imagination.
I even find it in university, if you could go to one place on earth where you can get a large body of unimaginitive people (minus the more artistic of students), university is the place. Afterall it is more or less a big complex of buildings you hang around for about four years after which you apparently get presented a rolled up document proclaiming you 'capable' of doing an office job for fifty years. Then its carehome and dying without bothering anyone. I fear I have gone off topic already but I'm merely stating that a lot of undergraduates actually arrived at university with a natural drive to discover more of the world, then with four years passed their vivacity for learning has been snuffed out. "I have no need to learn anything else than this subject." "I have a degree therefore I am better than you." And where did that imagination, that drive and the very core of learning go? As I will say now, like some Confucius quote:
'Staying young is realising how to retain and keep close your love of learning.'
That is a thought that is close to my heart, bear in mind that I just gave you a gift. You are obligated not to lose that gift - go and learn to learn! Reading Kafka. would be a good start.
As for the 'hollow people', if they take over the world and turn everything a monochrome grey don't be discouraged. If you find the surroundings or the people too translucent and colourless, there is another world to bury oneself in, to push your potential, knowledge and grace without qualifications or positions: books, the foundation on which one's soul rests. I am not saying it is the only foundation but it is perhaps the very first, unchanging and immovable.
On a side note, I cannot deny that anime is an established form of literature to me as well. After Toradora! I finished Hyakko, a really unabashedly mainstream anime with mainstream characters. But I don't mind watching it - Tatsuki, an upper class student, has a gorgeous, upper class voice.
Tatsuki
Lucky Star is 3 episodes till the end, still haven't seen that Tsukasa Kenshin cosplay yet... And I just started Fruits Basket. It grates. And lastly, I started Minami-ke Okaeri in high spirits. After five episodes, these spirits are still around but they are starting to nap around and snore, the useless spirits they are. I guess at heart I am more a slice of life person. Okaeri is more a montage of unconnected events and people like the first season. But I get this nagging feeling that I'm not the only fan feeling the lack of...stuff.
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