Peach Orchad

The Peach Orchard section in Kurosawa’s film “Dreams”, demonstrates how important Kami is in the Shinto belief. Not only does it emphasize on Kami but also on the notion that nature is ‘alive’. In Shinto, the word kami is a powerful, important spirit/force that lives in certain things. Everything (spirit and matter) is somewhat connected so if this connection is broken or separated then there becomes an imbalance. It starts with a boy being lured out by a ‘spirit’ girl to a cut down peach orchard near his home. When he gets there, the boy encounters Kami from the peach tree orchard that once blossomed there.

 The Kami tell the boy that they are very upset for being cut down and that his family is responsible. The boy replies by saying that he was sad and cried when he realized what had happened. Although the boy wasn’t responsible for the cutting of those trees, his family was. The Kami of the trees realized that boy indeed cared about them and not just for their peaches. The Kami see him as a good boy however they explain to him that they won’t watch/visit over his home ever again. In the Shinto belief, this is the worst thing that could happen to anyone. In class Prof. Rasnic talked about how one of the worst sins in the Shinto belief is to do anything against something sacred. Since his family cut down the trees, this is their punishment.

Tao of Pooh

First of all, I wasn’t familiar with the character Winnie the Pooh but the book itself was quite easy to understand and follow. I was actually hooked on the book when I started reading because of the interesting points it made regarding the Taoist point of view on life. Unfortunately I also realized that I was ‘Busy Backson’ and that I was living the practical way of life. One thing I learned was that planning everything for the future can actually affect you negatively and leave you more stressful. This book not only provided me with simple steps and POVs as to how to simplify my life but it also made me realize what mistakes I was making.  

 I was raised in Bolivia but when I came here to the United States in 2000, I was told to reach for the ‘American Dream’. To succeed here in the U.S, I would have to concentrate on profession that would get me a lot of money and guarantee me and my family a good life. I was told PICK something and concentrate on it till I graduate from college. So from middle till college, I lived my life trying to become a doctor and it was miserable. School was a pain and sometimes I would lose track of my objective. Planning things ahead of time never turn out to happen like you want it to because there isn’t a way to guarantee anything from happening. Unfortunately I was living my life as a Busy Backson brainwashed by the American Society when in reality, I should have lived life as it came.

 Here in the U.S., we are raised to believe that we should make our own premade path in life in order to feel like we are going the ‘right’ way. What the Tao of Pooh taught me was that there isn’t a certain path that everyone can take. We should live our lives according to what happens to us at that moment. We have to live everyday as a new day. And if we make mistakes, we learn from them and become better human beings. This not only makes us more prepared for the real world but it also diminishes the possibility of stress and disappointment in our lives. Through this ideology, we can think clearer, appreciate things better, and live a happier life.