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Sandra Carrillo

Professor Ditch

English 115

November 04 2019

The Positive Outlook

How is it possible that one is able to turn something as vivid as living as a refugee among

thousands of other people who are suffering and turn it into​ a powerful message.​ During World

War ​II after the Pearl Harbor attacks the United States ​about 120,000 Japanese Americans were

relocated into internment camps from Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order 9066 citizens feared

the hysteria that the country encountered so the ​alternative ​was to separate all Japanese

individuals stripping them from their family, valuables, as well as homes. George Takei is the

author of ​They Called Us Enemy,​ a story of his life through the historic tragedy.Capturing every

detail of his story within the visuals with little to no dialogue to persuade the reader. ​ Takei’s

pain roots from past experiences, through a negative situation he is able to pull it apart and in

return contribute his effort for a more positive outcome. ​In return, Takei was formed through all

of his suffering​ causing ​him to be resilient​ from his past circumstances of discrimination,

determined to portray a message to society, and gain maturity through independency.

Takei went through a relocation from Boyle Heights where home resided to one of the

many camps that contained thousands of Japanese Americans. He lived through conditions of

bathrooms in one room with no privacy, low to any necessary resources, disgusting food, and

living in a caged in area. Suffering is inevitably something that every individual goes through in

life. Author Matthieu Ricard believes that there is an alchemy of suffering. Alchemy roots from
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the individual who is concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to

find a universal elixir. Based materials in this situation representing the suffering an individual

goes through and on the other hand gold would be the transformation that was accomplished at

the end. ​“Unhappiness has causes that can be identified and acted upon,” Mathieu Ricard writes

in his story The Alchemy of suffering. At times there are moments where we can label the causes

to the suffering and improve it. As quickly as Takei was to reflect on the unhappiness he as well

acted with sorrow and turned it into a call of action by using his experience in the camps to a

motivational message to other generations ​Ricard writes “It would be better to accept it fully and

to distract oneself so as to feel it less harshly,” accepting the situation allows you to understand

what is making you feel this way and in conclusion what can be done because of this situation.

(page 38).Takai began with his own research but all of the books on the deals of the democracy

but not all related to the moments that he had lived through. ​ Learning from a book did not

compare to the knowledge that his father knows, eagerness to know more, he comes upon an

opportunity, a casting in a play that allows him to shine a light on the politics of the past into​ the

present to make a difference, step by step. Rather than wanting to completely hide the past and

concealing the aspects of it Takei takes the ​opportunity of dancing not only distract his mind but

to open the doors of growth​. Distracting from the pain he shifts it to the play by wanting to dance

and move using no words but with resilience, he’d portray all the devastation by moving with

compassion in each move to send a message of change and hope into society. Meeting famous

people like Martin Luther King Jr, in which he joined to march for equality amongst one another.

Hidden suffering took a big role in most of the Japanese society in which many had to

undoubtedly hide their feelings from within in holding with such ignorance. It took years for
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individuals to go back to how things were many had no idea that it was happening to other

Japanese families.

Bad situations and suffering tend to happen commonly in life, and are things we can't

escape from in life but we can change the outcome.​ David Brooks states in his story, ​What

Suffering Does,​ “People who endure suffering are taken beneath the routines of life and find they

are not who they believe themselves to be.” After the internment camp George begins the

transition from what ​started as book donations to the camps just​ to learn to physically being

present in a classroom with children of a different race then his. At a young age he was yet aware

of the consequences that would come from the internment camps. Although “They Called Us

Enemy” is the title of the book it holds a deeper meaning as a title for the Japanese, as they were

called enemies. As a child, Takei was limited to the amount of information about the internment

camps that he retained. Once having the suspicion that his fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Rugen had

disliked him it came to consideration that it had to do with his race. “That little jap boy” seen

only by his race who were considered enemy shaped him to believe that the horrible words that

were told of him were true which then “tore open a wound full of shame,” devastated from the

childhood memory that scared him​ leaving Takei with determination as the outcome to change

this situation (Takei. 171).​ In other words make the best out of the situation, Takei becomes

infatuated with the attention toward his races bad reputation as give him a motive for awareness

that he is bringing to society shifting from the trauma.Takei spoke in front of audiences, was able

to receive his own star on Hollywood’s walk of fame in 1986, telling his story on Broadway,

sharing journeys to the national museum, thousands of likes on social media and lastly having

the support of his father who became his role model and motivation for his actions to some
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extent. Many people don't come out healed they come out different (page. 287). Haven

accomplished many goals in life George not only went from a helpless “jap boy” he then grew to

become a well-known individual that is looked upon. Haven been shaped to become determined

to make a change, now having the voice for himself to stand up for the injustice he changed as an

individual. Although not solving his situation so he wasn't in complete happiness but the option

to grow from the discomfort.

Maturity is something that can't be learned in a matter of seconds but can be taught as life

brings good and bad things. In the ​article ​The Marks of Maturity ​on​ Psychology Today ​states, a

pathway out of childness is getting past your desires and beginning to live to meet the needs of

others,” throughout time George was able to grow in maturity quicker than others by having to

be that role model for his family.​ Having to take the role of a big brother and being able to make

his brothers and sisters happy without causing pain. As a kid himself he was unaware but yet had

a better understanding of what was going on than the younger siblings. After getting more

knowledge about the Japanese internment camp his maturity levels increase when it came time to

talk about serious moments in history that have been done to innocent individuals and ironically

not all individuals in the camps were Japanese immigrants. The parents fear the present and the

future. It was most likely that family members tended to protect themselves; many of the

children seemed to feel that their parents were weak, while the parents remained silent and

continued to hide their childhood trauma.​In another article ​Psychological Impact of Victims of

War and Conflict​, “emotional suffering related to war may occur not only due to direct exposure

to life-threatening situations and violence but also through indirect stressors, such as injury to or

death of relatives or caregivers, economic hardships, geographic displacement, and continuous

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disruptions of daily living.” As Takei grows up in the camps his parents tried their best in order

to keep the children away from the details of the internment camp and the injustice going on in

society.​ Although as a young kid he did not understand why they would do that, growing up he

had a better understanding and in fact was grateful that his parents did not tell him until he was

old enough to realize.

Relocation came as a disastrous moment and caused many to suffer from. How is it that

the more suffering we get the more it allows us to grow from it? When we want to achieve

happiness, we look in the positive the situation not focus on the negatives. David brooks writes

in his story what suffering does that often individuals “double down on vulnerability” bringing to

conclusion why would someone want more people negativity.Takei was driven by the trauma

that he had endured as a child. Yes, although he was suffering and wanted to speak more about

the negative situation he wanted to make a change because of it. He was formed to become more

resilient, mature, determined and even more confident. The cons to the pain is the hurt that one

endures, although everyone commonly goes through suffering one is able to grow from the

experience instead of letting it dragging you down in return make the best of the situation into

positive change or a lesson to learn.

George Takei went through a great amount of suffering, not only him but the thousands

of families that have been affected through the Japanese internment camps. It is easier to allow

the suffering to flow through your mindset and take over your wellbeing. Alchemy of suffering

stems from taking what you have and transforming into something better. The goal is to

recognize suffering, eliminate its source, end it, and by practicing the path as Ricard suggest.

David brooks sheds upon that the overwhelming of suffering does bring us down but happiness
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can be found through the experience of changing perspective of the situation. It is possible to go

through a tremendous amount of pain a look for the greater and wiser perspective not just

accepting the fact that it is who you are now. Although we cannot control the tragedy that

happened amongst us individuals, we can contribute on how it affects us. Thus, through the

suffering Takaei was able to gain resilience, determination, and maturity to prosper in life. We

should be able to move from the situation then to conceal the situation as human we all go

through phases of suffering.

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Works Cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” ​Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader​, by

Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin's, a Macmillan Education Imprint,

2016, pp. 284–287.

Elsmore , Tim. “The Marks of Maturity.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 4 Nov. 2012,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/artificial-maturity/201211/the-marks-maturity?amp.

Rathi, Amirita. “Psychological Impact of Victims of War and Conflict .” ​APA,​ Columbia

University, ​www.apa.org/international/united-nations/un-matters/rathi-war.pdf​.

Ricard, Matthieu. “The Alchemy of Suffering.” ​Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, b​ y

Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin's, a Macmillan Education Imprint,

2016, pp. 34–41.