Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy

The U.S.S. Arizona memorial

Among the many destinations of my not-so-recent-anymore trip to Hawaii, the visit to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial has been perhaps the most important one. There, I got to look at the sunken remains of the ship that was blasted by a Japanese bomb 64 years ago, prematurely taking away 1,107 lives.

While I was at Hawaii, I learned more about the details behind the attack. Turns out it was a lot more complicated than just Japan's thinking that the U.S. was a threat and deciding to bomb it (or anything like that). The full story goes something like this:

Japan had been after resources in China for a long while, and army extremists took over the northern province of Manchuria in 1931, despite government policy. Such an attack angered the Americans, especially those stationed across the Pacific. Japan then continued to attack the entire country of China, as well as ally with the Nazis in World War II.

Meanwhile, the U.S. tried to resolve the Sino-Japanese conflict. Aside from negotiations, the government also enforced an oil embargo on Japan. The latter action was viewed as a threat to Japan's national security, and the entire situation convinced the country to declare war on the United States.

However, the Japanese did not make their declaration aloud yet. They needed a surprise attack to weaken the American forces, for otherwise the U.S. would have an advantage with a full fleet in a lengthy sea battle. Thus the planes were sent out to bomb the ships at Pearl Harbor.

As the planes were approaching that fateful morning of December 7, 1941, some officers in a station on Hawaii were testing a new wartime device called a radar. Indeed, the incoming planes were picked up by the radar, and the two officers at the station wired another station with the news; however, the people at that station assumed that the planes were a bunch of B-17 bombers that were expected at that time, and told the other two to ignore it, even after repeated badgerings from the other two as the signal grew stronger.

The rest, as they say, is history.

While many have had many assorted feelings about that day, I can only imagine what those people at the station who told the two at the other station to ignore those radar findings had felt after the attack. A lot of guilt must have come over them for disregarding what could've been (and was) a threat. I wouldn't be surprised if they felt that the whole attack was entirely their fault.

Nowadays, in elementary (and probably even middle) schools, teachers tell students that the whole attack was the fault of the evil Japanese people. After all, these students wouldn't understand all this Sino-Japanese relations stuff, would they?

Alas, I'm trying to highlight two attitudes here: self-blame and blaming on others.

As for the latter, I can only quote Bob Phillips here: "To err is human; to blame it on the other guy is even more human." Our natural tendency is to have no part in bad events. We don't want to be guilty. Otherwise, we'd get in trouble. That's human.

Now, the example of self-blame that I gave is a natural self-blame. It comes out of that thing many call a conscience. It's that unignorable feeling that you have done something wrong. Many try to blame it on others to try to overwrite that feeling.

The thing is, it takes real strength to admit to your own faults. If blaming it on the other person is human, then to take the blame yourself is, if not divine, then superhuman. Many Americans were quick to blame the Japanese for the attack on that infamous day. But what if they had known about the U.S. embargo, or their country's business in Asia? Would they be so quick to prejudice the Japanese in their hometowns?

I have figured out the number one rule for getting along with others: It's always your fault. When one realizes his/her own contributions to the occurance of unfortunate events, he/she will be much less likely to harp on others for their faults, or at the least be much less harsh in doing so. This helps keep peace among people, and is desperately needed in today's world. We need more people less willing to blame others and more willing to blame themselves. It's not easy, but it's necessary.

This does not mean that you can obsess over your role in such events, though, or that you disregard others' roles. Especially in the case of the divorcing of parents or rape/molestation, this is unhealthy. But, as I said earlier, if you keep your faults in mind, you'll find yourself much nicer to those who may have also been at fault.

Think about how this will make others feel, especially if they have indeed played a role. They will feel much more relieved of their own guilt, yet will have a role model from which they will evaluate their own faults. This all evolves into a beautiful paradox: Because everyone will think it's his/her own fault, it becomes everyone's fault, and therefore it is no one's fault. Confusing? Maybe. Wonderful? Yes.

Now, what about things like murder, theft, or rape? Well, as I said earlier, don't obsess over your own roles. Perhaps you can learn something from the incident, though. Maybe you'll learn to lock your doors when you leave the house, or not to leave your drink glass unwatched at a party. Still, convict those who should be convicted. But maybe, looking at your own roles, it'll be easier to forgive the convict. And we all know how important forgiveness is.

Finally, I must commend three people who have shown this philosophy.

First of all, for any of you watching The Scholar, you may have seen the first episode... and thus know what I'm talking about. For those who didn't, there was a team event and a contestant named Jeremy was the leader of a team that ultimately lost the event. The host then asked Jeremy a tough question: Who on his team dragged the team down the most? Jeremy realized what he could've done better as a leader, and he said that he himself was the weakest member of the team. Such an act so impressed everyone that the Scholarship Committee nominated him as one of the two to join the winning team's leader in the final round that episode. So, because of that, I must give a hearty Conga Rats! to Jeremy.

Second, I would like to commend NarniaWebber wyntre_rose, a wonderful Reading Group leader. I won't go into details here (wyntre should know what I'm referring to), but anyways: wyntre, thanks a lot.

And last but most certainly not least, I must commend one other extraordinary human. He did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet in taking the punishment that billions of other people deserved, he basically admitted that it was all his fault. That person is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who took the blame for everyone's sins up on the cross. Thank you, Jesus, and I love you.