An Illusory War That We All Must Know
Wars are always destructive and leave a harsh impact on both society and the environment.
Second World War was one such war. It was the most destructive war in history, which took almost 60 million lives.
There was a soldier who has an exciting story of him being in a war. His name was Hiroo Onoda.
He was a soldier of the Imperial Army of Japan, spent 30 years of his life fighting the Second World War.
Before the Second World War, the monarchy in Japan ruled a fascist type of system. The citizens have got to die for the nation. There is a practice in Japan where the Samurai or the military has to fight till their death when there is no way to escape.
Japanese bombers used to drop bombs on the sea; if there is no fuel on their plane to get back to their airstrip, they also stuck their planes to the American Naval Ship. By these tactics, Japan could drag the war for a few months after the surrender of Germany.
Eventually, Japan surrendered only after the destruction of the two cities by the atom bombs.
Now let’s come to Hiroo Onoda, who joined the army in 1944. His squad was ordered to capture the US airport on an island in the Philippines, but the squad was unsuccessful. The American army destroyed every plan Hiroo, and his squad made. And the squad got killed. But Hiroo and his three colleagues remained alive in that confrontation. They escaped from there and hid in the mountains for revenge.
A few days later, some plane dropped some leaflet written that Japan already gave up and surrendered. So whosoever hidden now must do surrender.
Hiroo and the company didn’t accept this. They thought it was propaganda against them because Japan can never admit defeat. They persisted in their struggle for the country. Six years afterward, one of his companions run away. Then the leaflet fell, which contained information about his companion who escaped. Hiroo and his mate’s anger were raging at the top. Everyone vowed for the country to fight till their death. If someone runs away, then the rest have the right to shoot him.
Now only two of them remained, including Hiroo. A few years later, Farming started at the bottom of that mountain. Hiroo and his companions discussed with each other for those farmers, and they concluded that these are American spies in disguise, not farmers, who had come to spy on them. Wherever they see any farmer, they started to homicide them, burn their crops, rob their food. One of his companions got killed in one of such raids.
Now only Hiroo and one more soldier left. Ten to twelve years later, that soldier also got to pass. Now Hiroo was left alone. One day He found a young Japanese man. Hiroo made him hostage. The hostage said that the war was over 30 years earlier. And explained about Surrender, the Atom Bomb, and today’s Society. Hiroo still couldn’t conceive it because the commanding officer ordered him not to surrender.
Hiroo let that young man moved out as that young man traveled to Japan. He started to find Hiroo’s commanding officer and explain the issue to him. The commanding officer came to the Philippines and departed alone to the mountain where Hiroo was hidden. Officer splendid him and said- The war is over. Now you need to surrender.
Hiroo dropped the weapon. He got stunned and sat along the ground. Then started to burst out crying. He had lost a big part of his life. Till now, what he experienced, though, kept fighting, was all worthless. For thirty years, the truth for which he had been struggling was a lie. He was a criminal, not a soldier, not a patriot, only a killer of innocents.
It was 1974. He was wearing a torn uniform. Hiroo surrendered to the President of the Philippines with his assault gun, some cartridges, and a samurai sword. He had more than 30 murder cases. But he was given a pardon (apology). Hiroo was brought back to his country; he was not aware of the current situation of his country; his imagination was frozen in 1944.
After living in Japan for a few years, he couldn’t adjust to the current situation of Japan and settled in Brazil.
You will find the story of Hiroo unusual. A life was ruined in an imagination war, and add those 30 murders he committed. But don’t think of Hiroo as crazy or the only event in history.
War of Today’s Generation:
Look around yourself; You will find millions of Hiroo Onoda. They are fighting beyond time in an illusory war. The generation’s age is 20, 30, or 50 years, but they are still fighting 2300 years later with Alexander, 1400 years later with Kasim, 400 years later with Aurangzeb, and 80 years later with Hitler.
People are brainwashing their intellect by themselves, in mind, taking pictures of their dreamland where only their loved one or their community can exist. The rest is their enemy.
Wars are illusory. The deaths are real; the ruining of lives is real. Countries go into the trough. The inferiority complex of religion, caste, or history the ordinary people are armed with hatred, has remained Hiroo. On any day when we will throw our arms and open our eyes, we will not recognize our country’s current situation.
