Delighted to see my first ever Theology paper in Ateneo receive an A+. It's not much of an awesome paper, but yeah, publishing it anyway :3 Enjoy!
Dreaming
and Faithing: The Uzumaki Way
Perhaps
one of the most well-known anime characters of this generation, Uzumaki Naruto
has certainly touched the lives – if not influence – of many people, including
me. Since its debut on October 3, 2002, the anime has not lost momentum and
quickly gained remarkable fame. Why the success and huge fan base? I believe
that aside from the wonderful storyline, Naruto’s character itself is the
reason. It has revolutionized the definition of dreaming ‒ dreaming the Uzumaki
Way.
Imagine being an orphan with no relatives. What’s worse
is that everyone in town hates you. Just because. Naruto’s life has never been
easy to begin with, yet he has a dream, a noble dream born out of thirst for
affection. Nobody wanted to, for lack of a better term, have a relationship
with him, and he found this peculiar. Why? Isn’t he just like any kid who
wanted attention? Why is he treated like he was nonhuman?1 Though
this may be partly true because of the Demon Fox inside of him, the fact
remains that he is human. He deserved as much as they did. 2 The
only way Naruto knew on how people would accept him is to become a ninja,
specifically the most powerful one, a Kage. He did not just think of the dream,
he pursued the dream.
Like many of us who work hard for that one lifelong
dream, Naruto took the necessary steps to fulfil his dream. He pursued the path
to becoming Hokage and made it his vocation. But he did not fully understand
what he ought to do, yet he still went for it. He understood things by doing
it. He did before he heard.3 Though
it may sound like what a muscle-brain would do; it is but natural for us to
want to know the risks before we take action. We make sure that there is no
repercussion.4 Nonetheless Naruto did it because he had faith ‒
Faith in his teammates and friends, in his sensei, in himself, in the eternal
Thou.5 He not only believed by faith but acted on faith to reach his
dream.
“Dreaming is an uphill battle,
sometimes you’re gonna have to lose”
Naruto faced a lot of trials along the way but these did
not stop him. There’s his psycho frenemy Sasuke and the Akatsuki, who’s after
his head. He refused to settle for anything less than his dream despite these
hindrances. He kept his dream alive. Perhaps one of the hardest trials Naruto
faced was his fight with Nagato a.k.a. Pain, wherein he lost his mentor. Many
of his fellowmen also died in the siege of the 6 Pains. Naruto witnessed the
same unexplainable atrocities done by man to each other which he experienced
before, even worse. The question remained: Why? Like how the Israelites lost
meaning in life during the Babylonian exile6, Konohagakure’s
complete destruction meant Naruto’s loss of meaning in life. To become the Hokage
is all he ever wanted to accomplish, and with Pain wrecking havoc in the town
and its people, Naruto is left with nothing. But what transpired in Pain and
Naruto’s face off showcased his determination more than anything else.
It
is important to note that Naruto’s dream began to unconsciously transcend to
more than just becoming Hokage, but a call to true greatness. We slowly see the
shift in Naruto’s place in society from one who is hated, feared and
disregarded, to a hero who is loved, admired and respected.
Your dreams create
you. The individual choices you make in every step you take to your dream
define your transcendental choice which involves your totality – your
humanness.7 Naruto grew together with his dream. He grew stronger
and more passionate in his chosen vocation. But what made it possible? It is because of his faith. Naruto is reaping
tenfold what he has sown in faith. It was a result of his faithing.8
It is interesting to note that Jiraiya, the gutsy old
pervert and Naruto’s sensei, played a vital role on moulding Naruto’s dream. Of
all the “banal voices” 9 that surrounded him like Kakashi, Iruka,
and most especially the people of Konoha, Naruto chose to heed the “call” of
Jiraiya. And it turned out to be the right choice. Jiraiya has moulded Naruto’s
perspective on how things should be ‒ on the ways of being a ninja – and in
doing so moulded Naruto’s lifelong dream. Jiraiya’s words implied that Naruto
was not meant to be Hokage, or to be just a Hokage. He suggests that Naruto is
meant for something more than that, something greater10. What it is
I don’t know. But what I do know is that it is very apparent Naruto has
attained glory and honor more than that of a Kage just by stopping Pain alone.
In short, his great dream has been achieved, yet there is an even greater dream
for him.
In
most, if not all of Naruto’s battles, we see his intrinsic ability to “connect”
with people around him, either with his enemy or perhaps the people of a town.
This, I believe, could be Naruto’s true greatness, his true vocation11.
It is the vocation to touch lives and to bring peace, at least in a
fictional sense. And so far, he is doing a good job of sharing and spreading
this greatness ‒‒ this greater dream, not only in the fictional world of the
ninjas, but also in the real world. As
much as faith is a gift from the eternal Thou, faith must be shared.12
Naruto
inspired people not to dream, but to dream big, bigger than what we are right
now. He pursued this dream by doing,
and kept it alive by faith. Not only
did he grow with his dream, but he actually became
the dream. Naruto listened to his
mentor’s call and heeded it. He did
not choose his vocation rather the vocation
chose him. Naruto initially believed
in a dream bigger than him, but then he was a called to an even greater dream.
This is the Uzumaki way.
~Vision
is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up
the steps, we must step up the stairs.~ -Vaclav
Havel
~I am called to a dream greater than myself, and I will not dream anything less~ -Anon
7 Badion, Justin.
Handout #2: “Fundamental Theology: Revelation, Faith, and Sources.” 11.
12 Badion. Handout #2:
“Fundamental Theology: Revelation, Faith, and Sources.” 13.
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