“If you want to be free from your suffering, make up your mind. If you give up on your dream, you will suffer more.” Tenacity sometimes goes unseen; you can reach places you never even dreamt of – with determination and hard work.
The personification of unwavering resolve and passionate desire drove the likes of Rock Lee and Might Guy to their absolute limit and beyond that. Each character in Anime had baggage to carry, but they never wavered from their path; they stuck to it and persevered.
The road ahead may be treacherous, and hopes may run bleak, but you still have to keep moving forward – as Naruto said, “I am not going to run away, I’ll never turn on my word.”
If an orphan kid who was shunned and isolated can grow up the be the Hokage of that very village, then you can take on the world and emerge on the peak. If he could fight with the demon inside him and tame it, you could take on your fears head-on. And this is the tale of the guy – who, like Naruto, never gave up and never let his circumstance decide his future; this is the tale of Andrei.
Name: Andrei
Lives In: Philippines
As a kid in a poor country, hope is a luxury that you must hold on to, even though I grew up without a father to teach me how to be a man and not give up. Even though times are tough, anime has motivated me immensely. I've always watched them as a child. At first, I only find anime cool, like how the main characters look while they cast their spells, magic, power, and stuff. They look really cool as a kid. I was too naive to see the true lessons in anime. My favorite anime is Naruto. I run like him, talk like him, I even say Dattebayo. Then I turned 17. I don't have a girlfriend, so nothing makes me busy or happy, so anime it is. I started watching One-Punch Man's Saitama. He's so strong. Apparently, no one can beat him. He quickly finishes off any enemy with one punch. Well, I started thinking, I hope I was like Saitama. He can easily overcome any obstacles with ease. If he ran into something, he could settle this easily, but to me, it was the opposite. Whenever I face an obstacle, I always want to give it up. I always told myself I couldn't live a life like this anymore. I want to give up. Life isn't like an anime where you can beat any obstacles you face. In reality, it isn't that easy. One day I was drinking coffee in our yard and saw a toy, it was an action figure of Naruto, so then I remembered my childhood. The memories came back like I used to be happy about everything. I always acted like Naruto, and then I realized, did I really work like Naruto He sure faced a ton, but Naruto never gave up. He never gave up on his dream of being a Hokage and being acknowledged by the people of Konoha. He always stood up and fought no matter what it took or how many beatings he endured. Then I realized I was never like that. Once I was put down on my knees, that's it. It's over me. I didn't want to stand up. I just couldn't, so starting that day, I promised myself never to give up again, so I started applying Naruto's philosophy in training. I signed up to train as an ASL Aspiring Senior Leader. Once you graduate, you become a CAT officer citizenship Advancement Training. It's like an organization of students that applies military orientation and training, which was hard for me. I barely passed the medical examination because I was really skinny cause the lack of nutrients. I needed to get better, but the food we ate was limited because of poverty, but I passed anyways. At least once in my life, I wanted to prove that I was not a loser and could be more. I can do more. Not giving up became a principle for me. The training was really hard, I sometimes couldn't breathe anymore, but I always said to myself to do more. Rock Lee also keeps on pushing his limits up in training. I always kept in mind that this is nothing. Just keep moving, keep going, and don't stop. As of that time, I realized that Saitama once said that even if you can no longer breathe or feel like your arms are starting to fall off, keep moving. I realized that there is no shortcut. Everything Saitama attained was through real training. Even though I would never get to be as strong as Saitama…come on, don't be naive. No one can be as strong as Saitama in reality. So continuing my story, I graduated as an ASL, became a CAT officer with the rank of major, and was designated to as a second battalion commander. It was something great for me. I never realized I could be something more. Anime taught me that you could be something more once your heart is pure and true about your dreams. You never have to give up. You just keep your goals in mind and work on them. I'm 19 years old now and turning 20 this month. I still watch anime a lot. I couldn't even count how many anime I've watched till now. I'll never forget the reason why I never gave up and what made me who I am in the present. I became a logical thinker like Senku in Dr. Stone. I apply different characteristics in multiple anime I watch, and one day, I'll become more of who I am in the present.
Key Takeaways
#1 The Face Of Despair
We can’t dwell on the past – our past mistakes, the loss of a loved one, or a tragedy. You may face multitudinous obstacles throughout your life; the darkness will eclipse your hope. But the biggest obstacle one has to overcome in life is – themselves.
Nothing, apart from you, can bring you down. The moment you doubt your abilities and dreams; is the moment they shatter. Despite growing up without a father, without having the proper means to survive, and without the right tools to study, Andrei kept on going because he believed in his dream and abilities.
#2 Sweat And Tears
“If you believe in your dreams, I will prove to you, that you can achieve your dreams just by working hard.”
Rock Lee, unlike the majority of the other Naruto characters, lacked the natural abilities required for mastering Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Lee, even for once, did not falter from his goals. Even when he was severely wounded and on the brink of death, he kept pushing on for his ninja way. And just like Lee, Andrei, despite his shortcoming, kept moving forward.
#3 Never Give Up
“If you don’t like your destiny, don’t accept it. Instead have the courage to change it the way you want it to be!”
No dream is too big; no obstacle is too hard. Naruto, and many characters from Naruto, have shown us that no goal is far-fetched; if you don’t give up, you can achieve anything.
Naruto has lost a lot throughout his life; he lost the essence and the beauty of his childhood, he lost his parents, lost his friend to the deepest depths, and lost his mentor, but he kept on pushing; for the sake of others and the sake of his dreams. Whether you are rich, poor, the popular kid, a nerd, or anyone, you keep pushing to reach your goal, even when the circumstances and people around you force you to stay on your knees.
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