The film “Saving Private Ryan”

As their comrades fall one by one, the men in the unit begin to question their “mission”. The objective: to bring home the sole survivor of four brothers—three of whom have already perished. They ask themselves: Why must we die for a soldier like this? Why should we sacrifice our lives for a man we don’t even know—a man who might turn out to be a total weakling? Their frustration boils over, directed at their commanding officer. Yet, when they finally locate Private Ryan, he refuses to return home, insisting that he cannot abandon his post while the mission is still underway. In that moment, the men realize that the mission they have been carrying out was not in vain. It is the kind of story that resonates deeply with the American sensibility—a film from an era when America was still “wholesome”. But look at America today. It has devolved into a nation that the rest of the world may hold in contempt, but can no longer respect. Even with a change in administration, I suspect that this “Trumpian America” ​​can never return to being the “nation of justice” it once was. We will likely never again see the America that acted as the “world’s police”, striving to spread “freedom and democracy” across the globe. Lately, I’ve found myself feeling a strange sense of relief—at least I will likely pass away before having to witness a future where the entire world has transformed into a collection of “authoritarian states”. #savingprivateryan #america #authoritarianstate #片山俊幸