I’ve long been fascinated by the isekai prospect of reincarnation, or
rather, the impossibility of it happening as it is often depicted.
Biology would tell you: if you’re talking about
teleporting/summoning someone to another world, there are a lot of
issues that anime never covers. A quick look into history (the ages
of conquest and exploration) shows that disease quickly becomes an
issue when a foreigner treads into an unknown land. Anime completely
ignores the fact that any person who lives on Earth and is then
transported to another world would have to deal with a myriad of
diseases, parasites, viruses, and bacteria that we do not have any
resistance to or immunity to. Comparably, our companions in that new
world aren’t impervious to the maladies we carry. That said, Mushoku
Tensei presents a neat little solution to these woes, being re-born
there. In utero, a mother’s antibodies are passed on to the child,
thus preparing that individual for all the ailments their world
possesses. But in that approach lies another conundrum, that of
nature and nurture, or rather how both these things affect a person’s
outlook on life.
Our day-to-day interactions are significantly influenced by the
individuals who surround us. Every time we engage in undesirable
behavior, we are admonished for it, through that, we gain an
understanding that our behavior is either acceptable or unacceptable.
Similarly, our perception of what’s right ages as we do, thus
prompting us to adjust and assimilate to expected social standards.
And here is where Mushoku Tensei shines: honest character building.
Rather than a blank slate, Rudy, for most of his past life was a
hikikomori, and this affects his new life far more than he (and even
we as viewers) realize. The acquisition of social cues is attained
through learned behaviors. Behaviors that must be frequently
exercised in order to maintain their effective execution. In the case
of an individual such as Rudy, who endures a plethora of adverse
encounters and subsequently withdraws from society, the faculties of
empathy and social perspicacity are profoundly insufficient. What
appears overtly intuitive for most individuals can easily be missed
by someone in Rudy’s
position.
This lack of social awareness and expected morality is further
exacerbated in his newfound life, due to growing up in the Greyrat
household and in the Six-Faced World as a whole. Rudeus throws
himself headfirst into living out his new life and voraciously learns
about the world around him. Through this he garners an appreciation
about the norms of his new world. He sees first hand how things like
Paul’s predatory behaviors is often disregarded and even downplayed
or just accepted by those around him. Faced with these lessons, it
make it easy for Rudy to ease into a less-than-ideal moral lifestyle
because he has some assurance that he has a lot of leeway with his
behavior, leeway he would never have had while living in Japan.
However, it’s not just learned behavior; there is a level of societal
understanding due to his prior life
There is a philosophical concept known as “Chesterton’s Fence.”
Which postulates that when faced with a problem, before rushing
towards what seems like the easiest solution, it is prudent to assume
that an existing arrangement is the way it is because an individual(s)
who established it has presumably given thought to potential
alternatives. The example used here is that you should never remove a
fence, no matter how bad it is or how much it annoys you because you
don’t understand the full implications of why that fence is there and
what happens if you remove that fence. An easy way to understand this
in modernity is the issue of authoritarian leaders. Few people would
argue that they needs to remain in power (the fence that needs to be
removed). But as the recent Wagner revolt showed, the potential
removal of an autocrat isn’t as clear-cut. In Russia’s example if
Putin is deposed and a civil war breaks out, hundreds, if not
thousands, of weapons of mass destruction would fall into the hands
of out-of-state actors. Then, instead of dealing with a centralized
autocrat, you have to deal with insurgents and extremists; all of who
have different goals. That doesn’t detract from the fact that having
an autocrat in power is a very bad thing; it just poses the possibility that the
alternative may be more destructive and harder to deal with.
In Mushoku Tensei, Rudy is smart enough to understand this dilemma.
He has a modern understanding of morality (albeit warped). For
example, he hesitates to kill, and the time when he can get what he
wants through force, he always abstains from going that route. But at
the same time, he understands that what applied to his old existence
is to a degree, invalid in his present one. His abstention from something, while
admirable, serves no purpose but to make his life harder than it
already is. He knows that the things that don’t confirm with the
morals and values of his old world are still present in his new one
for a reason even if its a deeply flawed reason. It may still be detestable, but much like heading back into our own history and trying to change problematic issues in a flash, he’s cognizant enough that he alone can’t bring about meaningful change in his current position.
To a large extent there is also a willing rejection of his old life and values. In the most recent episode, Rudy again runs into Nanahoshi
Shizuka. His reaction to this was visceral, an excellent nod to how past physical trauma translates to emotional trauma in the long run. But
after that initial shock (and with the help of Fritz), he was able to
push aside his feelings and not only face his former aggressor but
also work alongside her. It is a feat of emotional maturity most
people would not be able to do. While it may not be one he did
without hesitation, it is one he knew was inevitable given the
circumstances he finds himself in. It is possible to
discard deep-seated differences or hatred and work alongside someone
you once abhorred once a mutual understanding develops, and the latest episode presented that pretty well. Even in our world, things like WW1’s Christmas Truce can happen between people who just hours before were trying to kill each other.
But the most important takeaway from this exchange was Rudy’s
outright declaration that he does not want to return to his previous
life. He has friends and family that he loves and cares for in his
present life, whereas he misses nothing of his former one. Nanahoshi
mentions that such a disposition signifies a life well-lived, free of
remorse in its final moments. While Rudy’s previous life did not end the rosy way Nanahoshi believes it did. Compounded, the rejection of his former
self, accompanied by the renouncement of his previous existence,
presents a profound and revealing window into Rudeus’ psyche. That
rejection applies not only to the past life he lived but to his past self as well, along with the concepts and ideas that his old life held. He’s no longer
a nameless shut-in; for all intents and purposes, he is now Rudeus
Greyrat, a Six-Faced World native, no different than anyone else in
that world. While this may ostracize him to those in line with the norms of his past life, in his current life, being just a normal person is to his benefit.
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