From the perspective of human nature, let's talk about the choice of "mechanical humans" and "living" in Inuyashiki

Wen | Yan Xiao'er to write a philosophical text

Foreword: Inuyashiki is a Japanese anime with whimsical backgrounds and thought-provoking human torture. And Yan Xiao'er's article is also in response to a fan friend who recommended this anime to me. Thank you for reading Yan Xiao'er's article, you can teach friends with Yan Xiao'er and discuss the topic of human nature.

In fact, this is not Yan Xiao'er's first contact with "Inuyashiki", in memory, I once watched the first episode of "Inuyashiki" in a sunny afternoon, and then because of some things delayed, I did not continue to look down, this time fortunately recommended by fans, picked it up again, watched the first five episodes in one bite, had some ideas, and wanted to share it with you first.

Watching the first 5 episodes of the anime "Inuyashiki", the character encounters in it made me think about a problem, that is, the meaning of life.

Strictly speaking, the protagonist of the anime "Inuyashiki" should be a 60-year-old office worker in Hisashiki who is less than sixty years old but looks like 60 or 70 years old due to overwork. Although he dedicated himself to his family, his family did not respect him. Life seemed a little unkind to him, for example, shortly after he was sentenced by the doctor, his son and daughter did not even answer the phone.

At this point, frustrated, after he returned home at night, in order to vent his emotions, he took the puppy he had picked up on the side of the road not long ago to the park for a walk, and he cried with a headache. When he was crying heavily, he suddenly found that there was a teenager next to him. But before he could react, a sudden alien creature hit him and the teenager.

Alien creatures reorganize Inuyashiki and the teenager's bodies in order to avoid being affected by the Earth's order, and when Inuyashiki wakes up the next day, inuyashiki only sees the dogs guarding the side. When he returned home, he was surprised to find that although he looked the same as in the past, his body had become a robot and he had super combat power.

Then, Inuyashiki uses his robotic body to start saving lives, while the teenager is completely opposite, and begins to use his mechanical body to kill people at will.

At this point, Yan Xiao'er will start from the perspective of human nature and talk about the choices they made after accidentally becoming a "mechanical human" with super combat effectiveness.

In the anime, Inuyashiki, who is older, less respected, and has a very low sense of existence, chooses to save others and give himself the real feeling of being "alive". Young teenagers, who have friends and family members who care about them, choose to rob others of their lives and let themselves get a sense of "living".

The choice between the elderly and the teenagers reminds me of the two universal choices for the "pursuit of the meaning of life" that are more common in our lives.

Some people take pleasure in "plundering", or that most people consciously or unconsciously start from "self-interested" thinking, "live" in the form of "plunder" and "take", and obtain the real feeling of "living" with the almost "desire to conquer" that is stronger than others and above others.

Some people, in the way of "giving" and "fulfillment", get the real feeling of "living". At this time, because our help and kindness affect the lives of others, this "influence" is more like a "return" for ourselves, and under this "feedback", we can get the real feeling of "living".

Whether it is "plundering" or "giving", in fact, the way we obtain a "sense of being alive" is more or less a "reward", and the difference between the two is "self-interest" or "altruism".

Why do most people tend to start from "self-interest" and "plunder" to get a sense of being alive? Yan Xiao'er thought that the main reason may be because "plunder" is relatively speaking, whether it is thinking or "giving back", it is relatively "simple".

Why does Yan Xiao'er describe it as "simple" here? First of all, "plunder" is often only based on self-feelings, without considering the feelings of others, which is often simpler, after all, there are thousands of faces; secondly, the compulsive feedback obtained in the form of "plunder" will be more direct and simple.

The "difficulty" of "giving" lies first of all in elusively understanding what kind of help and kindness others need, and thirdly, it lies in obtaining the "feedback" of others, after all, not everyone will give "thanks" to the kindness of others, at the same time, goodwill gives more, others are accustomed to it, after paying "kindness", what they get is "indifference".

In the anime "Inuyashiki", the old man who becomes a robot chooses to "give" to get a sense of being alive, while young people get a sense of being alive in the way of "plundering".

In Yan Xiao'er's view, it has a symbolic significance.

When we are young and vigorous, because of "lack", but also because there are more "gaps" in body and mind, we need to "fill", at this time, we tend to "accumulate" in the way of "plunder", and this "accumulation", as the days go by, can become the accumulation of "life".

When life enters the second half of the period, we have changed from the accumulation stage to the "cherishing" stage, we no longer like "plunder", but more tend to cherish "beautiful things" in a "passing" posture, because we have experienced more, so we are more abundant and richer inside, and here, we can better understand that the beauty and meaning of life is not plunder, but cherish the present.

At this point, speaking of this, your old friends who often interact with Yan Xiao'er should be able to guess the answer to the question of "what is the meaning of life" in Yan Xiao'er's heart. Yan Xiao'er believes that "plunder" is a stage in which we explore the meaning of life, without excessive rejection, moderation, and when our inner being is sufficient, we will understand that the meaning of life is not plunder, but more in "giving" and "protecting", at the same time, the most precious in life, many times do not have to stick to the "feedback" of others, the focus is on "living in the moment". You can think about whether this is the case.

Well, this time I have to share here, this is Yan Xiao'er's initial understanding of the anime "Inuyashiki", and when the follow-up is appropriate, there will be new interpretations and experiences, thank you for your continuous attention.

[This article is Yan Xiao'er's original and exclusive release of zhewen, any infringement such as porting, plagiarism, etc., which must be investigated if found]