the fact that after gem, impulse, bdubs, and pearl killed scar, they chased him for so long trying to get him to stop and read the book, begging him to listen. but he just kept running, didn't even look back, let their pleas wash fall on his deaf ears.
he didn't stop until he saw grian. grian, with despair in his eyes as he kept shifting away from scar in fear. scar stopped running— I imagine he felt relief, even, because grian was there, he was there.
scar didn't listen until it was grian. grian, with furrowed brows, telling him to stop, telling him he couldn't be here. he wasn't welcome anymore. god, it's insane to me
scar has spent this entire season running, and yet every time grian calls his name, he can't help but turn and look. even as death nips at his heels, when grian's eyes are on him, the noise clears. even if it's the words grian loves to say to him: leave, scar. you can't be here, scar.
scar turned around after that and left, because he just can't stop bending to grian's will, and isn't that something?
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When discussing or analyzing Dazai, one thing I hope you will keep in mind when reading anything I write about him is that from my perspective, he is always, always both.
What do I mean by this? Well, I find there tends to be a general split among people who hold the opinion that "he's a manipulator and will always be manipulative" and "he's doing his best to be good and helpful and live up to Oda's last wishes for him", of which, neither is completely right - because he is both. But even among the people who hold to this dual-nature interpretation, I find that his individual actions and motivations still tend to be thought of in a dichotomous manner - is it manipulative, or genuine?
Again, I think it's always both.
Dazai has a very pragmatic view on a lot of things - he is always looking for the usefulness of things and people so that the situation turns out in his favour. He's incredibly adept at this, and his prediction and placement and careful reveals are all manipulation tactics to get his allies and enemies doing exactly what he needs them to. I don't think anyone can contest this since we see it over and over in the series.
But that's not all there is to it. He's not solely manipulative and he does, to some extent, sympathize with others - I think there are several instances of this in the series, but I want to stress that this has been apparent since Chapter 1!
For context, Dazai is recalling what Atsushi said to him a few minutes earlier, but it's very interesting that it should be this specific part of the conversation. He could've flashed back to the part where Atsushi said he had nowhere to go; no money, no food - he is about to trick him into joining, after all, and this is the key piece he uses to basically force Atsushi into the Agency. But instead it's Atsushi's self-deprecation that catches his attention, and it really does, because even during the conversation, he turns to look at him after he says this with an odd expression.
You could say that this makes Atsushi easier to manipulate, if that's your angle, but that can't be solely it, because in the later conversation with Hirotsu, we know Dazai was planning to bring Atsushi into the Agency and set him up as one half of the new Double Black the moment he met him. The panel shown there is the riverbank, set much earlier in the day than this scene. He was already planning to pair him with Akutagawa since he figured out he was the tiger, so what's with this reaction?
Well. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.
He manipulated Atsushi into joining with the intention of utilizing him in his future plans. He also helped him and gave him a place to belong, and importantly, he likes this kid! It's both.
I think much of it might be that his brain just kinda works way too fast - he's such a natural at crafting these elaborate plots and seeing how things connect and gathering useful people like resources that it's practically automatic - though this is not a great means when you're trying to be a kinder person. There's an omake, I believe, that has him saying "I like using my head for justice", i.e. using these underhanded means to act for the better. Not great, but those are the kind of gifts he has. He's way more suited to exploitation, but is choosing to use these tactics to save people now, which is quite reminiscent of what he tells Kyouka. Kyouka's talents lie in killing people - when what you're good at isn't who you want to be, what do you do? Well, I expect you use what you have, even if it's not ideal.
Now, about the current situation with Sigma - I think he definitely likes him, and is intrigued by him and his situation. We did get a little thought bubble where the guy amusedly compares him to Atsushi, and you can't tell me he doesn't care about Atsushi (listen to the onsen drama cd, or read 55 Minutes if you somehow don't believe me). But also, it's undeniable that Sigma is in a very vulnerable position of being homeless and having had no one be genuinely kind to him before. His trust is very easy to earn, and with the latest chapter, Dazai has now saved his life multiple times. There is, as always, a practical purpose he needs him for. And I have to be somewhat amused because Dazai is quite literally telling Sigma everything he ever wanted and needed to hear. It's a brilliant means of quickly endearing himself to Sigma - but I don't think that's all it is.
Look. The most honest moments we get in this series from Dazai are, interestingly for an expert manipulator, when people are at their most vulnerable. In spite of every pointlessly cruel act he inflicted on Akutagawa, his first meeting with him was open and transparent; much like the orphanage director, it seems he thought this treatment would make him strong and adaptable (he's wrong but that's not the point of this). He cuts Kyouka off in irritation and says "don't give me that" when she implies that she would fail the entrance exam. He tells Atsushi it's normal to cry after losing a father figure and to feel however you feel, even if that person caused you nothing but incredible pain and cannot be forgiven. He refuses to entertain Sigma's assumptions that Dazai sees himself as a superior being to him.
Selective honesty can also be utilized to great effect; Mori does this, and undoubtedly it serves this purpose for Dazai too. But I want to stress that I do sincerely believe this is all still honesty from him. Manipulation, or genuine?
Both. It's both.
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The Jedi Order and Therapy
People hating the Jedi for not helping Anakin and being a "bad environment" for him in general is completely ridiculous.
The Jedi Order always seemed like such a healthy and loving environment and to claim that Anakin needed "actual therapy" instead, only shows me that some of y’all don’t even know what therapy looks like, what practiced methods of therapy look like and what a healthy mindset and life look like.
Having to study some psychology as a part of my general studies made me realize the depth of the Jedi Order's spiritual and therapeutical viewpoints. And while I don’t want to get into it like crazy, I do want to point out that being aware of one’s pain and accepting it, is literally the first step of healing. And that’s something Anakin wasn’t willing to do. Some of you remember the scenes very wrong, cause Anakin not once spoke about what truly pains him and shoved it away constantly, never fully opening up. He doesn’t tell Obi-Wan about his mother, he mentions a dream and then glazes over it by saying he wishes he would dream about Padmé instead. He constantly wishes to go the easy, avoidance route instead of the right one.
You can’t help and force therapy on someone! It has to be willing. And it’s not something that’s simply done to you, you have to put the work in from beginning to end, that’s not something anyone else can do FOR you. And to expect the Jedi to do something for Anakin is not how therapy works. Anakin is the one that needs to do something, only then will growth and healing even happen. The Jedi can only offer their help, their advice and methods of healing, but Anakin is the one that needs to take them.
Letting go is also a huge part of therapeutical healing, which is also something the Jedi practice. You have to learn to trust life and its flow, you can’t always run to action to avoid certain things. That’s why at times the Jedi state "Trust in the force." You need to have a fundamental trust in yourself and the world around you. That’s a healthy mindset right there.
Self-efficacy, acceptance and a certain serenity is important and healthy, all things that Jedi possess. Not because that’s simply how they are, but because they constantly work on themselves. They’re not arrogant at all. They simply don’t lose themselves to failure and guilt either, they let go and learn.
Some goals that therapy also tries to help out with and propagates are having a healthy social network, being able to relativize things such as your pain or your emotions in order to look at them from a different perspective, keep a cool head and not fall into a deep pit because of them, managing to leave the victim role and learning to take care of yourself and look at even the ugliest parts of yourself to overcome them. Now of course, there’s more to therapy and I’m by no means an expert. But this is at least what I learned.
All in all, mindfulness is key. And that is something the Jedi keep saying. To say they’re wrong about it and stupid, is also not understanding that that’s something therapy will tell you too. Anakin's concepts of life and the way he reacts and lives at times is simply not healthy and making it seem like he’s doing just fine and everyone else is wrong and at fault, would also completely hinder him from ever living a healthy life, because it stops him from looking at himself and working on his troubles.
The reason why the Jedi constantly speak about fear and mention it to Anakin as soon as the council meets him, is a deliberate choice by George Lucas. Fear truly is the root of all problems. Therapy can tell you as much too. Fear can have various origins (such as traumatic experiences), however, it creates specific problems in the long-run when left unattended by you. It gives you a negative self-perception, makes you avoid certain things and constricts you. So the Jedi are right in that regard, too.
Avoiding fear and trying to navigate life away from any fears in order to be secure, will only breed more uncertainty. That’s why we hear the Jedi state "Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi.“ The Jedi don’t live in absence of emotions and fears. They confront them head on and work them out. They don’t run from them, they don’t grow hysterical over them. They treat them as they should be treated. The Jedi are kind of like the poster-people for what it looks like to be healthy and live healthily.
Peace within oneself and an openness towards the world and its happenings are a part of a healthy psyche and that is exactly what I see when I look at the Jedi. They’re resonant and in touch with life, balanced in regards to psyche and body.
The perfect environment for a person to learn and grow. And probably the most perfect environment Anakin could have found himself in, in order to heal. However, none of that matters if a person isn’t yet willing and does not want to face themselves. And Anakin didn’t want this. I’m not saying it’s easy by any means, it’s hard work. But in the end it’s up to oneself whether they wish to do it and get better or whether they’d rather go without it.
And it’s not just modern therapeutical methods that we can see within the Order, but also buddhistic practices that are meant to heal a person and help them grow.
So insulting the Jedi, their practices and everything about them irks me like nothing else, because they aren’t wrong at all. They’re right. And they have parallels to real life concepts.
And when the Jedi were killed, all of that goodness and mindfulness and tranquility died as well. It was not deserved. It was the Sith and corrupted beings ruin a good thing and plunging the galaxy into darkness.
Anakin was not right or wronged by the Jedi or a victim. He had the chance to take his life into his own hands and become a wonderful, healthy-minded Jedi, but he chose not to. He chose to chase after his desires that he deemed more important, instead. And that’s also a problem people have to understand. Fulfilling your desires and wants at every corner is not the key to happiness at all. It’s never going to give you freedom or anything of the sort. It also stems from fear, fear of death, fear of rigidity, etc.. You’ll never be able to satisfy desires, because more will come and afterwards they’ll plunge you into deep depression until a new one gives you momentary happiness again. Like a rollercoaster you keep chasing after.
The prequels do not show us how the Jedi were wrong and why they fell. They show us an example of an individual not learning key elements of a healthy life and allowing himself to fall into the pit of darkness to achieve his goals and wishes, but he fails nonetheless, because fleeting desires and avoiding and therefore paradoxically falling right into the trap of fear, are not the key to happiness. The Prequels show us Anakin's fall, not the Jedi's. The Jedi were wronged. They were killed. We get to watch why and how that happened. A cautionary tale meant to make us think and work on ourselves, so that we understand that anybody can become Anakin, but at the same time anybody can also become Obi-Wan or Yoda or Plo Koon or any other Jedi, if they only face themselves and do the work.
In conclusion, everybody should constantly work on themselves and learn. Therapy is good and always a healthy option, nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. It’s a helpful tool and a little nudge of guidance to learn to work on oneself. Buddhism does this in the form of Gurus for example. If I’m not wrong. Which is also I believe where GL got the master and padawan concept from? A personal teacher and guide, to help you grow and technically be your personal therapist in a way. And attachment is not healthy love. It’s a form of desire and avoidance of/reaction to fear. A healthy individual doesn’t need attachments, they can love selflessly and not cling to a person to get something out of them or to conceal whatever personal insecurity there is.
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