Sunday, March 30, 2014

Family Sacrifice and Courage

I want to share a scene from a support character Kenji Makabe in the Japanese anime series Space Brothers (Uchu Kyodai) episode 82. Makabe is training to become an astronaut for a mission on the moon. Here is what Makabe said translated in English:

"Do you best" is a phase I always have to stop myself from saying. When bringing up a child, those words add needless pressure. After multiple failures, I realize this. But when [my child] tells me to do my best, I'm encouraged to work harder. I wonder how they feel about my becoming an astronaut. They've had to leave their native country, and live in an unfamiliar place, away from friends and relatives. They must be scared. They probably want to go back to Japan.

To send me to space, they're sacrificing a lot. I have to do my part. And use the time and effort that would have otherwise gone to them. It isn't enough to compensate their sacrifice . . . but I need to reach the moon before I can make things right!

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