Summary: In this episode I discuss the latest game I just got finished playing: Tomb Raider, with its star protagonist Lara Croft. After playing this game I was struck by how many stoic and bushido ideals are present in Lara's character. Please comment down below and subscribe to the RSS feed or e-mail list for updates. EPISODE OVERVIEW: Lessons from Lara Croft Lesson #1: The importance of friends and teachers “You are not an isolated entity, but a unique, irreplaceable part of the cosmos. Don’t forget this. You are an essential piece of the puzzle of humanity. Each of us is a part of a vast, intricate, and perfectly, ordered human community. But where do you fit into this web of humanity? To whom are you beholden?Look for and come to understand your connections to other people. We properly locate ourselves within the cosmic scheme by recognizing our natural relations to one another and thereby identifying our duties. Our duties naturally emerge from such fundamental relations as our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, our state or nation. Make it your regular habit to consider your roles - parent, child, neighbor, citizen, leader - and the natural duties that arise from them. Once you know who you are and to whom you are linked, you will know what to do.” - The art of living, Page 42. Lesson #2: Lara didn't complain Lesson #3: Things didn't go perfectly, and she was ok with that “Instead of averting your eyes from the painful events of life, look at them squarely and contemplate them often. By facing the realities of death, infirmity, loss, and disappointment , you free yourself of illusions and false hopes and you avoid miserable, envious thoughts.” - The Art of Living, Page 28. Lesson #4: Lara kept the forward momentum “Regardless of what is going on around you, make the best of what is in your power, and take the rest as it occurs.” - The art of living, Page 108 Lesson #5: Learn to trust in yourself Lesson #6: Be willing to throw your life away “When one has made a decision to kill a person, even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it will not do to think about going at it in a long roundabout way. One’s heart may slacken, he may miss his chance, and by and large there will be no success. The way of the samurai is one of immediacy, and it is best to dash in headlong.” Hagakure, Page 60 Resources Things I reference: The Tomb Raider game the episode is based on. The Emperor’s Handbook by Marcus Aurelius The Hagakure The Art of Living by Epictetus Songs by Slayerment My friends and I going down the spillway! http://youtu.be/eW2x64sjUtE
