Japanese Drama Review 14 - Hanayori Dango Episode 1 - Makino 'Be True to Yourself?'

Last week we considered how Makino and her family decided on Eitoku as their school of choice. She had heard a former student – Toudou Shizuka – speak of her time at Eitoku – she had attended the school and Makino was drawn to the intrigue of beauty, poise, glamour, success and wealth she portrayed.

Toudou is gorgeous, I agree. Her poise and confidence are to be admired, and I can understand why Makino would be drawn to her. Few young women would not find Toudou someone worthwhile to admire. They would like to walk in her steps. This is the kind of image many would like to reveal to those who notice them – to a watching world. Makino is no different to any young impressionable woman.

Toudou tells her captive audience, ‘those that are deciding on which path to take. Be true to yourself.’ ‘If you do that I ‘m sure you will enjoy your life at school,’ she adds.

Saying this to a young audience who are held captive by their wants and desires will certainly cause them to respond from a position of ‘feelings’ rather than from facts. Their feelings will rule their decision making. Saying ‘be true to yourself’ will cause them to want to be true to their feelings. Makino admits, ‘I thought that I wanted to be like this wonderful person, so I entered Eitoku.’ Certainly Makino’s feelings overruled any factual examination she needed to make before deciding on attending Eitoku. Furthermore we should never ‘be true to’ ourselves. We deceive ourselves, and we do it so readily and easily. Rather the statement made to justify attendance should have been ‘be true to your calling, to whom the Lord has called you to be.’ Don’t you think so?

This is such an important time of life where decisions made can influence the rest of life. Words have great impact on impressionable minds. How would you counsel Makino and her peers to respond to the intrigue of a beautiful woman and the life she holds dear? How would you disciple this group of impressionable young people to rethink what has been said to encourage them from a worldly perspective?

• Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers (James 1:14-16).

• Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23).

• The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown (Proverbs 4:7-9).

• Do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble (Proverbs 3:21-23).

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