Dreams (1990) - full transcript
This is essentially eight separate short films, though with some overlaps in terms of characters and thematic material - chiefly that of man's relationship with his environment. 'Sunshine Through The Rain': a young boy is told not to go out on the day when both weather conditions occur, because that's when the foxes hold their wedding procession, which could have fatal consequences for those who witness it. 'The Peach Orchard': the same young boy encounters the spirits of the peach trees that have been cut down by heartless humans. 'The Blizzard': a team of mountaineers are saved from a blizzard by spiritual intervention. 'The Tunnel': a man encounters the ghosts of an army platoon, whose deaths he was responsible for. 'Crows': an art student encounters 'Vincent Van Gogh' and enters the world of his paintings. 'Mount Fuji in Red': nuclear meltdown threatens the devastation of Japan. 'The Weeping Demon': a portrait of a post-nuclear world populated by human mutations. 'Village of the Watermills': a sunny portrait of a village whose population is entirely at one with nature.
A film by AKIRA KUROSAWA.
DREAMS
Presented by STEVEN
SPIELBERG / Amblin Entertainment.
A KUROSAWA PRODUCTIONS FILM
Produced by HISAO KUROSAWA and MIKE Y.
INOUE.
Creative Consultant ISHIRO HONDA.
Cinematography by TAKAO
SAITO and SHOJI UEDA.
Production Design by YOSHIRO
MURAKI, AKIRA SAKURAGI.
Music by SHINICHIRO IKEBE.
Costumes by EMI WADA.
Chief Assistant Director TAKASHI KOIZUMI.
Production Manager TERUYO NOGAMI.
Starring AKIRA TERAO,
MITSUKO BAISHO,
TOSHIE NEGISHI, MIEKO HARADA,
MITSUNORI ISAKI,
TOSHIHIKO NAKANO, YOSHITAKA ZUSHI
HISASHI IGAWA,
CHOSUKE IKARIYA, CHISHU RYU.
MARTIN SCORSESE.
Special Effects by.
Written and Directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA.
I HAD THE FOLLOWING DREAM...
"Sunshine Through the Rain."
You can't go out today.
The sun is shining, but it's raining.
Foxes hold their
weddings on days like this.
They hate it if anybody watches.
Terrible things will happen if you do.
You saw it, didn't you?
You saw something you shouldn't have.
I can't have such a child in my house.
An angry fox came looking for you.
He left this.
You're to atone by
cutting your belly open.
Go quickly and ask their forgiveness.
Give that back to them,
and beg for your life on your knees!
They rarely forgive even trivial things.
You must go prepared to die for your sin!
Hurry now!
Until they forgive you,
I can't let you back in.
But I don't know where their home is.
Of course you do.
On days like this
there's always a rainbow.
Their home is beneath the rainbow.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Peach Orchard."
-Take this, big sister.
-Thanks.
Weren't there six of you?
There were six of you before,
so I brought six servings.
You made a mistake.
Here, you have this one.
I already had mine.
That's strange.
I'm sure there were six.
Did someone leave?
No.
There really was another girl here.
Stop acting so strange!
Now leave us alone.
-She's there!
-Who?
-I don't know who she is.
-No one's there!
She was right there!
Have you got a fever again?
No! Just tell me who she is.
Are you all right?
Wait!
Where are you going?
You're not supposed to go out!
Little boy!
We have something to tell you.
Listen carefully.
We're never going to your house again.
Why not?
Your family
cut down all the peach trees
in this orchard.
The Doll Festival is
also a seasonal festival.
It's the festival of the peach trees.
We dolls are personifications
of the peach tree.
We're the spirit of the
trees, the life of the blossoms.
If you cut down the peach trees,
how can you hold a Doll Festival?
Those vanished trees
are weeping in their sorrow.
It's too late for tears!
Let us not blame the boy.
He wept for us as we
were being chopped down.
He even tried to stop them.
Because he'd get no more peaches!
You're wrong!
I can buy peaches at the store!
But where can you buy a
whole orchard in bloom?
I loved this place
and the peach trees that blossomed here.
I knew I would never see them again!
That's why I cried!
Very well. We understand.
He is a good boy.
Let us allow him to see
this peach orchard in bloom one last time.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Blizzard."
It's getting dark.
Is it night again already?
Don't be stupid!
It hasn't been that long since we set out.
But we set out late.
We overslept.
That can't be.
It's only 11:00.
Your watch must be broken.
No.
The hands are moving.
The snow makes it seem dark.
It's turning into another blizzard!
Come on, let's hurry!
Are we on the right path?
Yes.
We'll be out of this gully soon.
We're almost at the advance camp.
Enough! I'm sick of hearing that!
I've had it!
Get up!
Get up and walk!
You call yourselves mountaineers?
A little storm like this
— aren't you ashamed?
Little storm?
It's been three days!
It's never going to let up.
Nonsense!
It won't stop!
It's waiting for us to die!
All right.
We'll rest a bit.
Someone's coming!
It's true.
Someone's coming!
No one's coming.
You're hallucinating.
Don't fall asleep!
You'll die if you fall asleep!
Get up!
Stay awake!
Get up!
You'll die if you sleep!
Wake up...
The snow is warm.
The ice is hot.
Wake up! Are you okay?
Wake up!
Wake up!
Wake up!
Look!
Our camp!
It's our camp!
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Tunnel."
Private Noguchi!
Yes, sir!
You're —.
Sir, did I
did I really die in action?
I can't.
I can't believe I'm really dead.
I was discharged and went home.
I ate the sweet rice cakes
my mom made for me.
I remember it clearly.
You told me that once before.
You were shot, and you fainted.
As I tended to you, you
woke up and told me that story.
It was just
a dream you had while unconscious.
It was such a vivid tale.
I couldn't forget it.
But five minutes later
you really did die.
Understood, sir!
But my mom and dad
still don't believe I'm dead.
That's my home.
My mom and dad
are still waiting for me there.
But it's a fact.
You were killed.
It breaks my heart,
but I have to be blunt:
You died
in my arms.
Noguchi!
Platoon
halt!
Salute the company commander!
Present
arms!
Order arms!
Third Platoon reporting, sir.
All present and accounted for.
Listen to me!
I understand
how you must feel.
Nevertheless
the Third Platoon was
completely wiped out.
You were all killed in action.
Forgive me.
I managed to survive.
I can't even look you in the face.
The responsibility for your deaths
rests with me!
I could blame it all
on the absurdity of war,
or the inhumanity of the military.
But to deny my own mistakes and
indecisiveness would be cowardly.
That said.
I was taken prisoner.
And life in that camp gave me
a taste of the agonies of death.
And
now
as I look at you.
I taste that same bitterness again.
Compared to your own suffering,
mine must seem trivial.
But I tell you this honestly:
I wished.
I had died with you.
Please believe me when I say that.
I understand your resentment.
I really do.
To die in battle
is to die like a dog!
But listen to me.
What good is it wandering
among the living like this?
I beg you!
Go back!
Go back and rest in peace.
Third Platoon
about
face!
Forward
march!
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"Crows."
Hello.
Do you know where Mr. Van Gogh lives?
If it's him you're after,
he crossed the bridge
and went that way.
Thank you.
Be careful, sir.
He just got out of the lunatic asylum.
You're Vincent van Gogh, aren't you?
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"Mount Fuji in Red."
What's going on?
What's happening?
Has Fuji erupted?
This is terrible!
It's worse than that!
Haven't you heard?
The nuclear power plant exploded!
There are six reactors.
They're exploding one after another.
This is Japan. There's nowhere to run.
I know that. We can't escape.
But we have to try. We have no choice!
We can't go any farther.
But
what happened?
Where did all those people go?
Where did they run to?
They're at the bottom of the sea.
Those are dolphins.
Even they're trying to escape.
Lucky them.
They can swim away.
It makes no difference.
The radiation will get them soon enough.
Here it comes.
The red is plutonium-239.
One ten-millionth of a
gram will give you cancer.
The yellow is strontium-90.
It collects in your bone marrow
and causes leukemia.
The purple is cesium-137.
It accumulates in the gonads,
causing genetic mutations.
There's no telling
what you'll give birth to.
People are such fools!
Radiation was dangerous
because you couldn't see it,
so they found a way to dye it.
But that only confirms
you're going to die.
It's just Death's calling card.
Now, if you'll excuse me...
Wait!
Radiation doesn't kill you
right away, so maybe —.
Maybe nothing! A slow death is even worse.
Death is one thing for
adults who've lived their lives.
But children haven't
even begun to live yet.
Waiting to die from
radiation poisoning isn't living.
They told us, "Nuclear energy is safe.
The danger lies in human error,
not in nuclear energy itself.
We won't allow any
mistakes, so don't worry."
It's unforgivable!
Those bastards better hang for this
or I'll never die in peace!
Don't worry.
The radiation will see to that.
Please forgive me.
I'm one of those who ought to hang.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Weeping Demon."
You're human, eh?
What's the matter?
Are you a demon?
I suppose I am.
But I used to be human.
What a world!
What stupidity!
Long ago
this here was a field of flowers.
But then
the hydrogen bombs and missiles
turned it into this desert!
But recently
mysterious flowers have begun to bloom
in areas covered in fallout.
These are all dandelions.
Dandelions?
Monster dandelions.
This is a rose.
But the stem grows from
the center of the flower
and has another bud growing from its tip.
The radiation scattered all around here
has left all these flowers
deformed and misshapen.
But it's not just the flowers.
Human beings too.
Just look at me.
Human beings are such idiots.
We turned the Earth into a
dumping ground for toxic waste!
There's no healthy nature left
anywhere on the planet.
No birds, no animals, no fish.
Except
a while back.
I saw a rabbit with two faces
a one-eyed bird,
and a fish covered in fur.
What do you do for food?
There is no food!
We devour each other.
The weak ones go first.
My turn's coming soon.
There's a class structure
even among demons.
Those like me
with one horn
inevitably get eaten by
those with two or three.
Those who seized power as human beings
the cunning and the shameless,
rule the demon world as well.
Fine! Let them have their way.
Let them grow all the horns they want.
Let them look like terrifying freaks!
Such are the torments of hell.
It's worse than death.
But they couldn't die
even if they wanted to.
You see, it's a demon's karma
never to die.
They must suffer forever
tortured for their sins.
But me, I'll be eaten soon.
No!
I don't want to be eaten.
That's why I'm running away like this.
But.
I get so hungry,
and become disgusted with myself.
I was a farmer when I was a man.
I dumped tank trucks of milk
into the river to keep prices up.
Onions, potatoes, cabbage
— I bulldozed them all under.
I was so stupid!
Hear that?
When dusk comes
those big-shot demons howl in pain.
Their horns hurt like cancerous tumors.
Enough to make them
yearn for a quick death.
But since they can't die
all they can do is howl.
Come, I'll show you.
I'll show you how they howl.
My horn's beginning to hurt too.
Go now!
Go where?
You want to become a demon too?
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Village of the Water Mills."
Good day.
Good day.
Ah, good day.
What's the name of this village?
It doesn't have one.
We just call it "the village."
But outsiders call it "the
village of the water mills."
Do all the villagers live around here?
No.
We're spread all around.
You don't have electricity?
We don't need stuff like that.
People are suckers for convenience.
They think, "The more
convenient, the better,"
and they end up throwing
out what's truly good.
What do you do for light?
We have candles and rapeseed oil.
Isn't it dark at night?
Night is supposed to be dark.
We'd be in trouble if
night were as bright as day.
I don't want a night so
bright that I can't see the stars.
You have rice paddies,
but I see no tillers or
harvesting machines.
We don't need such things.
We have cows and horses.
What do you use for fuel?
Firewood, mostly.
We feel bad chopping down living trees,
but there are enough dead ones.
We mainly just chop those into firewood.
And if you make charcoal from the wood,
just a few trees give as
much heat as a whole forest.
And cow dung makes good fuel too.
As much as possible,
we try to live
the natural way, like
people did in the past.
These days
people have forgotten
they're a part of nature too.
They can't live without nature,
yet they meddle with it and destroy it.
They always think they
can create something better.
Especially scientists.
They may be smart,
but so many of them are completely deaf
to the beating of nature's heart.
They work so hard inventing
things that make people unhappy
and then pat themselves
on the back for it.
Even worse, the vast majority of people
look at those idiotic inventions
as if they were miracles
and bow down before them.
They don't notice
that nature is being lost
and that they're heading for extinction.
The most important things for human beings
are clean air and clean water,
and the trees and grass that produce them.
But folks pollute everything,
and it's lost forever.
The polluted air and water
go on to pollute people's hearts.
On my way here.
I saw children placing flowers on a stone.
Why did they do that?
Oh, that.
I heard the story from my late father.
A very long time ago
an ailing traveler
fell dead on that spot.
The villagers took pity
and buried him right where he died.
They placed that rock
there as a kind of tombstone
and offered flowers to it.
It became a custom
that continues to this day.
It isn't just the children.
All the villagers
put flowers there as they pass
without even knowing why anymore.
Is there a festival today?
No, that's a funeral.
You seem to find that odd.
But a funeral is actually
a joyous occasion.
It's good to live well and work hard
and then be congratulated
on a job well done.
We have no temple or priest,
so all the villagers gather
and carry the deceased
to the cemetery on the hill.
Of course, it's different if a
child or young person dies.
You can't really call that auspicious.
But fortunately
the people here lead a natural way of life
and most die in the order
in which they were born.
The lady being buried today
died peacefully at the age of 99.
In fact, I must go now
and join the procession.
Please excuse me.
To tell you the truth,
she was my first love.
But she broke my heart
and married another guy.
By the way, how old are you?
Me?
One hundred plus three.
A pretty good age to leave the human race.
Listen, people go on
about how hard life is,
but that's just a lot of talk.
Honestly, it's good to be alive.
It's quite exciting.
THE END
DREAMS
Presented by STEVEN
SPIELBERG / Amblin Entertainment.
A KUROSAWA PRODUCTIONS FILM
Produced by HISAO KUROSAWA and MIKE Y.
INOUE.
Creative Consultant ISHIRO HONDA.
Cinematography by TAKAO
SAITO and SHOJI UEDA.
Production Design by YOSHIRO
MURAKI, AKIRA SAKURAGI.
Music by SHINICHIRO IKEBE.
Costumes by EMI WADA.
Chief Assistant Director TAKASHI KOIZUMI.
Production Manager TERUYO NOGAMI.
Starring AKIRA TERAO,
MITSUKO BAISHO,
TOSHIE NEGISHI, MIEKO HARADA,
MITSUNORI ISAKI,
TOSHIHIKO NAKANO, YOSHITAKA ZUSHI
HISASHI IGAWA,
CHOSUKE IKARIYA, CHISHU RYU.
MARTIN SCORSESE.
Special Effects by.
Written and Directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA.
I HAD THE FOLLOWING DREAM...
"Sunshine Through the Rain."
You can't go out today.
The sun is shining, but it's raining.
Foxes hold their
weddings on days like this.
They hate it if anybody watches.
Terrible things will happen if you do.
You saw it, didn't you?
You saw something you shouldn't have.
I can't have such a child in my house.
An angry fox came looking for you.
He left this.
You're to atone by
cutting your belly open.
Go quickly and ask their forgiveness.
Give that back to them,
and beg for your life on your knees!
They rarely forgive even trivial things.
You must go prepared to die for your sin!
Hurry now!
Until they forgive you,
I can't let you back in.
But I don't know where their home is.
Of course you do.
On days like this
there's always a rainbow.
Their home is beneath the rainbow.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Peach Orchard."
-Take this, big sister.
-Thanks.
Weren't there six of you?
There were six of you before,
so I brought six servings.
You made a mistake.
Here, you have this one.
I already had mine.
That's strange.
I'm sure there were six.
Did someone leave?
No.
There really was another girl here.
Stop acting so strange!
Now leave us alone.
-She's there!
-Who?
-I don't know who she is.
-No one's there!
She was right there!
Have you got a fever again?
No! Just tell me who she is.
Are you all right?
Wait!
Where are you going?
You're not supposed to go out!
Little boy!
We have something to tell you.
Listen carefully.
We're never going to your house again.
Why not?
Your family
cut down all the peach trees
in this orchard.
The Doll Festival is
also a seasonal festival.
It's the festival of the peach trees.
We dolls are personifications
of the peach tree.
We're the spirit of the
trees, the life of the blossoms.
If you cut down the peach trees,
how can you hold a Doll Festival?
Those vanished trees
are weeping in their sorrow.
It's too late for tears!
Let us not blame the boy.
He wept for us as we
were being chopped down.
He even tried to stop them.
Because he'd get no more peaches!
You're wrong!
I can buy peaches at the store!
But where can you buy a
whole orchard in bloom?
I loved this place
and the peach trees that blossomed here.
I knew I would never see them again!
That's why I cried!
Very well. We understand.
He is a good boy.
Let us allow him to see
this peach orchard in bloom one last time.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Blizzard."
It's getting dark.
Is it night again already?
Don't be stupid!
It hasn't been that long since we set out.
But we set out late.
We overslept.
That can't be.
It's only 11:00.
Your watch must be broken.
No.
The hands are moving.
The snow makes it seem dark.
It's turning into another blizzard!
Come on, let's hurry!
Are we on the right path?
Yes.
We'll be out of this gully soon.
We're almost at the advance camp.
Enough! I'm sick of hearing that!
I've had it!
Get up!
Get up and walk!
You call yourselves mountaineers?
A little storm like this
— aren't you ashamed?
Little storm?
It's been three days!
It's never going to let up.
Nonsense!
It won't stop!
It's waiting for us to die!
All right.
We'll rest a bit.
Someone's coming!
It's true.
Someone's coming!
No one's coming.
You're hallucinating.
Don't fall asleep!
You'll die if you fall asleep!
Get up!
Stay awake!
Get up!
You'll die if you sleep!
Wake up...
The snow is warm.
The ice is hot.
Wake up! Are you okay?
Wake up!
Wake up!
Wake up!
Look!
Our camp!
It's our camp!
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Tunnel."
Private Noguchi!
Yes, sir!
You're —.
Sir, did I
did I really die in action?
I can't.
I can't believe I'm really dead.
I was discharged and went home.
I ate the sweet rice cakes
my mom made for me.
I remember it clearly.
You told me that once before.
You were shot, and you fainted.
As I tended to you, you
woke up and told me that story.
It was just
a dream you had while unconscious.
It was such a vivid tale.
I couldn't forget it.
But five minutes later
you really did die.
Understood, sir!
But my mom and dad
still don't believe I'm dead.
That's my home.
My mom and dad
are still waiting for me there.
But it's a fact.
You were killed.
It breaks my heart,
but I have to be blunt:
You died
in my arms.
Noguchi!
Platoon
halt!
Salute the company commander!
Present
arms!
Order arms!
Third Platoon reporting, sir.
All present and accounted for.
Listen to me!
I understand
how you must feel.
Nevertheless
the Third Platoon was
completely wiped out.
You were all killed in action.
Forgive me.
I managed to survive.
I can't even look you in the face.
The responsibility for your deaths
rests with me!
I could blame it all
on the absurdity of war,
or the inhumanity of the military.
But to deny my own mistakes and
indecisiveness would be cowardly.
That said.
I was taken prisoner.
And life in that camp gave me
a taste of the agonies of death.
And
now
as I look at you.
I taste that same bitterness again.
Compared to your own suffering,
mine must seem trivial.
But I tell you this honestly:
I wished.
I had died with you.
Please believe me when I say that.
I understand your resentment.
I really do.
To die in battle
is to die like a dog!
But listen to me.
What good is it wandering
among the living like this?
I beg you!
Go back!
Go back and rest in peace.
Third Platoon
about
face!
Forward
march!
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"Crows."
Hello.
Do you know where Mr. Van Gogh lives?
If it's him you're after,
he crossed the bridge
and went that way.
Thank you.
Be careful, sir.
He just got out of the lunatic asylum.
You're Vincent van Gogh, aren't you?
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"Mount Fuji in Red."
What's going on?
What's happening?
Has Fuji erupted?
This is terrible!
It's worse than that!
Haven't you heard?
The nuclear power plant exploded!
There are six reactors.
They're exploding one after another.
This is Japan. There's nowhere to run.
I know that. We can't escape.
But we have to try. We have no choice!
We can't go any farther.
But
what happened?
Where did all those people go?
Where did they run to?
They're at the bottom of the sea.
Those are dolphins.
Even they're trying to escape.
Lucky them.
They can swim away.
It makes no difference.
The radiation will get them soon enough.
Here it comes.
The red is plutonium-239.
One ten-millionth of a
gram will give you cancer.
The yellow is strontium-90.
It collects in your bone marrow
and causes leukemia.
The purple is cesium-137.
It accumulates in the gonads,
causing genetic mutations.
There's no telling
what you'll give birth to.
People are such fools!
Radiation was dangerous
because you couldn't see it,
so they found a way to dye it.
But that only confirms
you're going to die.
It's just Death's calling card.
Now, if you'll excuse me...
Wait!
Radiation doesn't kill you
right away, so maybe —.
Maybe nothing! A slow death is even worse.
Death is one thing for
adults who've lived their lives.
But children haven't
even begun to live yet.
Waiting to die from
radiation poisoning isn't living.
They told us, "Nuclear energy is safe.
The danger lies in human error,
not in nuclear energy itself.
We won't allow any
mistakes, so don't worry."
It's unforgivable!
Those bastards better hang for this
or I'll never die in peace!
Don't worry.
The radiation will see to that.
Please forgive me.
I'm one of those who ought to hang.
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Weeping Demon."
You're human, eh?
What's the matter?
Are you a demon?
I suppose I am.
But I used to be human.
What a world!
What stupidity!
Long ago
this here was a field of flowers.
But then
the hydrogen bombs and missiles
turned it into this desert!
But recently
mysterious flowers have begun to bloom
in areas covered in fallout.
These are all dandelions.
Dandelions?
Monster dandelions.
This is a rose.
But the stem grows from
the center of the flower
and has another bud growing from its tip.
The radiation scattered all around here
has left all these flowers
deformed and misshapen.
But it's not just the flowers.
Human beings too.
Just look at me.
Human beings are such idiots.
We turned the Earth into a
dumping ground for toxic waste!
There's no healthy nature left
anywhere on the planet.
No birds, no animals, no fish.
Except
a while back.
I saw a rabbit with two faces
a one-eyed bird,
and a fish covered in fur.
What do you do for food?
There is no food!
We devour each other.
The weak ones go first.
My turn's coming soon.
There's a class structure
even among demons.
Those like me
with one horn
inevitably get eaten by
those with two or three.
Those who seized power as human beings
the cunning and the shameless,
rule the demon world as well.
Fine! Let them have their way.
Let them grow all the horns they want.
Let them look like terrifying freaks!
Such are the torments of hell.
It's worse than death.
But they couldn't die
even if they wanted to.
You see, it's a demon's karma
never to die.
They must suffer forever
tortured for their sins.
But me, I'll be eaten soon.
No!
I don't want to be eaten.
That's why I'm running away like this.
But.
I get so hungry,
and become disgusted with myself.
I was a farmer when I was a man.
I dumped tank trucks of milk
into the river to keep prices up.
Onions, potatoes, cabbage
— I bulldozed them all under.
I was so stupid!
Hear that?
When dusk comes
those big-shot demons howl in pain.
Their horns hurt like cancerous tumors.
Enough to make them
yearn for a quick death.
But since they can't die
all they can do is howl.
Come, I'll show you.
I'll show you how they howl.
My horn's beginning to hurt too.
Go now!
Go where?
You want to become a demon too?
I HAD ANOTHER DREAM...
"The Village of the Water Mills."
Good day.
Good day.
Ah, good day.
What's the name of this village?
It doesn't have one.
We just call it "the village."
But outsiders call it "the
village of the water mills."
Do all the villagers live around here?
No.
We're spread all around.
You don't have electricity?
We don't need stuff like that.
People are suckers for convenience.
They think, "The more
convenient, the better,"
and they end up throwing
out what's truly good.
What do you do for light?
We have candles and rapeseed oil.
Isn't it dark at night?
Night is supposed to be dark.
We'd be in trouble if
night were as bright as day.
I don't want a night so
bright that I can't see the stars.
You have rice paddies,
but I see no tillers or
harvesting machines.
We don't need such things.
We have cows and horses.
What do you use for fuel?
Firewood, mostly.
We feel bad chopping down living trees,
but there are enough dead ones.
We mainly just chop those into firewood.
And if you make charcoal from the wood,
just a few trees give as
much heat as a whole forest.
And cow dung makes good fuel too.
As much as possible,
we try to live
the natural way, like
people did in the past.
These days
people have forgotten
they're a part of nature too.
They can't live without nature,
yet they meddle with it and destroy it.
They always think they
can create something better.
Especially scientists.
They may be smart,
but so many of them are completely deaf
to the beating of nature's heart.
They work so hard inventing
things that make people unhappy
and then pat themselves
on the back for it.
Even worse, the vast majority of people
look at those idiotic inventions
as if they were miracles
and bow down before them.
They don't notice
that nature is being lost
and that they're heading for extinction.
The most important things for human beings
are clean air and clean water,
and the trees and grass that produce them.
But folks pollute everything,
and it's lost forever.
The polluted air and water
go on to pollute people's hearts.
On my way here.
I saw children placing flowers on a stone.
Why did they do that?
Oh, that.
I heard the story from my late father.
A very long time ago
an ailing traveler
fell dead on that spot.
The villagers took pity
and buried him right where he died.
They placed that rock
there as a kind of tombstone
and offered flowers to it.
It became a custom
that continues to this day.
It isn't just the children.
All the villagers
put flowers there as they pass
without even knowing why anymore.
Is there a festival today?
No, that's a funeral.
You seem to find that odd.
But a funeral is actually
a joyous occasion.
It's good to live well and work hard
and then be congratulated
on a job well done.
We have no temple or priest,
so all the villagers gather
and carry the deceased
to the cemetery on the hill.
Of course, it's different if a
child or young person dies.
You can't really call that auspicious.
But fortunately
the people here lead a natural way of life
and most die in the order
in which they were born.
The lady being buried today
died peacefully at the age of 99.
In fact, I must go now
and join the procession.
Please excuse me.
To tell you the truth,
she was my first love.
But she broke my heart
and married another guy.
By the way, how old are you?
Me?
One hundred plus three.
A pretty good age to leave the human race.
Listen, people go on
about how hard life is,
but that's just a lot of talk.
Honestly, it's good to be alive.
It's quite exciting.
THE END