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| Photo by Andy Montes de Oca on Unsplash |
As someone who enjoys anime and manga, I had never watched Naruto, until recently. I remember watching the show's ads when I was a kid and I'd heard about the show, but I never watched it partly because it's long and they have prolonged it by including many repeated scenes. Due to the lockdown, I had the time I needed and so, I watched the show.
In simple terms, Naruto revolves around the story of a boy (named Naruto) in a small village who is shunned by everyone because he harbors a beast inside him. The story starts off small and gets interesting later where the plot expands (obviously). It's a story where villains have more fans than heroes and every character has something to teach you.
What I love most about Naruto —the series and the boy himself— is his unwavering belief in himself. While the author tries to paint him as a stupid kid who is stubborn, I feel that Naruto has one of the most important traits that so many kids don't have these days: self-belief.
There are dialogues and hefty lines because let's face it, it's a story. But, if you break it down to the bare minimum, you're left with this: Naruto always, always believes in himself. Even when he's hated by his own people and he's so lonely because he doesn't have a family or friends, he never feels sorry for himself or never doubts himself.
Of course, he feels sad and he cries to express his emotions, but even at his lowest point, he never stops believing in himself. That unwavering belief always baffles me. I think it is something we all need to learn.
There's also a fine line between that self-belief and plain ego. We are so blind that we see egoistic people as those with a lot of self-belief, which is far from the truth. Egotistical people are hollow husks. Only with a lot of reflection and awareness does self-belief arise. That along with hard work, because nothing beats hard work.
There's a rising awareness of mental health because there are more depressed people than ever. When our quality of life has significantly improved, why is depression on the rise? Because when life beats you to a pulp, only self-belief can save you, and that belief is tied to your mental health which they don't teach in schools.
When you can't get out of bed in the morning because you're so depressed, that small voice which says "you can" is self-belief. When you have to face your boss who harassed you last night, that voice whispers "you can"; when you are afraid to hand in that resignation; when you get an idea in the middle of the night; when you want to follow your dream; all of those times there's that voice rooting for you.
But, sadly, we never listen to that voice. Some people don't even hear that voice, because they are so out-of-tune with themselves. How can they hear it, when they don't even have any knowledge about it? These people haven't been taught to listen to their own thoughts, to process their feelings.
How different would it be if we taught kids to take care of their minds as well? I wish I had learned that the fat blob sitting between my ears is more complicated than the periodic table. I wish I had learned that being aware of myself is as necessary as learning multiplication tables. That I should pay attention to that gentle tug inside when I do something I love. That I should become a friend to myself before being a friend to anyone else.
Who is the one person who will always be with you till you die? It's you. Shouldn't you befriend yourself first? Shouldn't you believe in yourself?