A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.
The Hero’s Shade – Twilight Princess
Often times in this day and age, our society blames many of the troubles we face on our elders and those who came before us. Things such as climate change, housing crisis, cost of living, racism, lack of human rights, and the list goes on. I do agree many of these things were caused or made worse by those who came before us, and even many of us currently. However, this does not mean we are to dismiss everything from our elders and ancestors. They faced their own trials before us, and they have many lessons to teach us, as long as we are willing to listen, learn and understand. We do not have to agree with the views of our elders, however we should not dismiss them as being a “bad person” due to choices they made throughout their life, or by their failures. Even through failures, lessons can be learned.
This brings me to think of The Hero’s Shade – a recurring character in Twilight Princess. This character appears as though they are a Knight of an earlier age who has passed on and become a Stalfos. However, there is a sadness lingering around this being. They teach you how to wield your sword and shield, so you can save the world from the clutches of Zant and Ganondorf, and restore light to the land of Hyrule. This being is in fact, the Hero of Time, who has passed on (see Hyrule Historia), and has become a Stalfos. It is suggested after the events of Ocarina of Time, he became lost in the Lost Woods and perished there. To think such an important and powerful Hylian was able to become lost in the Lost Woods – a place he had traveled to many times before – almost seems impossible. But we must remember, just because he did amazing things and saved the land of Hyrule, he too is mortal and cannot overcome every challenge. With this being said, he still has valuable lessons to teach us, with all of his knowledge and life experiences.
We should move past judging others for their failures, and instead look to them for knowledge and teachings. and listen to what they have to say, so we too can move forward and create a better world for all of us. If we do not take the time to listen and try to understand the actions of those who came before us, how are we going to truly move ahead?
Very true, and very well put. We can learn so much and eveneqrn ways to change things if we would take the time to listen and be receptive as well. Sometimes it’s hard, even I admit that, but that makes it worth it just as much.