Enlightenment...in a way?

[bigwood089]

First off, I would like to say that after the past three days, I have completed every available route for each respective girl; both good and bad.

Each route finds me....flabbergasted for words upon completion. I don't think that this is a bad thing, because it leaves me with a sense of awe on how well the writing is executed with each path. It also leaves me with an inevitable sense of longing on how Hisao continues his relationship with each girl. This sense of yearning is, in my humble opinion, a masterful way to complete each route. These cliffhangers allowed me, as a reader, to leave each viable path up to complete and total interpretation on how Hisao continues his romance with these girls.

...I also found myself looking past the disabilities that each girl has. I suppose that this is what you're supposed to grasp from reading this visual novel (which is my first)...but, I already knew that upon diving into reading this piece of fiction. I won't deny that I have had my fair share of relationships as a 21 year old male in my years growing up...but I also learned at young age that looks aren't everything.......well I suppose that is also a dull and boring way to put it. I guess what I mean to say is that a person's appearance isn't a reflection upon what their personality truly is. I know that in the grand scheme of things, I have not been on this earth long; I have also not experienced what it truly means to be in love...at least that's what I fool myself into thinking. There is this one girl that I dated that I keep in contact in with through shear ignorance of my feelings, which I keep oblivious to her. I will not allow myself to truly express myself to her, because we ended things on a mostly biased mutual break-up....if that makes any sense, but I digress.

What I am trying to say through this long-winded rambling of words is that growing up, I found myself oblivious to the fact of disabilities amongst others. This is due in part to the fact that while growing up, I slowly watched my mother progress in the woes of Dystonia. (For those that don't know what that is, which I fully expect, here is a link to describe it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystonia ) I grew to become oblivious to the fact that she has slowly become more and more crippled as the years progress. It started as a slow twitch in a her left wrist, which the doctors misinterpreted as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome(SP). The surgery for the aforementioned cause did not cure her in any way...which is to be expected by my way of explaining things. From a tender age of five years old or so, I slowly watched as this neurological disease spread from her left wrist throughout her entire body. To date, my mother has one of the most extreme cases of Dystonia, without a certain cause as to why this has happened.

At first, I resented the fact that she had been slowly taken away from me day by day. (This is because my biological father deserted me before I was even born). She was the only parental figure I had, well besides my grandfather who took my father's stead...but even he could not suffice. He had already gone through the woes of raising children in his own way and in the upcoming technological wonders that transpired in the 90's and into the 00's, he could not keep up with the culture that was quickly surrounding me...though recently, I have helped him better to understand it albeit through a slow process (he still has trouble accessing his email and using a cellphone). I still live with them to this day, which I have no qualms in saying. I have taken the responsibility of taking care of my grandfather's daughter; my mother. She is still the same person that raised me through my childhood days and through adolescence. Though it pains me to see her in her almost bedridden state, she still finds ways to actively promote herself amongst society. She doesn't hold down a job for obvious reasons, but she still votes, she still shops as any other person, she still drives, and her feelings towards other has not changed. I look upon those awkward downward cast glances of pity as she hobbles along with her leg and arm brace firmly in place, along with the aid of a walking cane, with pity of my own. They'd rather avoid contact with her because she is crippled, and give her leeway with things that are not necessary. If one was to look past her crippled state, and simply discuss with her, her own world weary views, they would find things much in common with her. Today, I do not treat as a handicapped or disabled person, but as a regular human being...which one would find evident with our constant bickering over trivial things such as the state of the political world we live in.

I think that this is why this VN touches so close to home-base with me. In the beginning, Hisao has trouble recognizing those with disabilities around him, and such on how to treat them as well. He learns to look past all this, and becomes in touch with these peoples' inner human emotions. He learns to treat them with the respect that they deserve and that they are very much human beings.

If anything is to be gained from my own experiences with mother, it is that when all is said in done; disabled or not; a person is still a person, filled with emotions, desires, and dreams of their own. These disabled people, that are so idly cast away as pitiful subjects, find their way through society just as well; albeit at a slower pace; as we normal individuals do.

I have found a sort of enlightenment through the arcs that are presented in this VN. Just because you can't do something, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do it. I feel like this defines humanity as a whole in a way. We, as a species, find ways to further advance over the evolutionary curve and propel ourselves even further into the future; the human will to survive and overcome obstacles. I find my own explanation to fit well with my mother, whom I deeply love and admire in the same way. If only I could find the inner strength that she exonerates day by day, then I could propel self to become an even better human being.

TL;DR: My mother is disabled and I have found that through her will to overcome any obstacle that life throws at her, I have learned to become a better person and Katawa Shoujo has even further exampled this train of thought.

P.S. just got home from a long night of drinking lol, so if my rambling confuses you in any sort of way, then I humbly apologize in advance. I guess this is something that has been brooding deep within me, that KS has managed to bring forth.

[Munchenhausen]

Bloody hell, that's a real shame about your Mother, mate :/
But either way, welcome to the forums! I know what you mean about the VN, because although I wouldn't have treated a disabled person differently, I probably wouldn't have been able to see them in a romantic light... all changd after reading KS
But that's just me

[Atario]

That's a poignant picture you paint. Welcome, friend. And watch out for the whiskey.

[ParagonTerminus]

I hope your mother's condition improves soon.

Also, welcome to the waifu battlefield forums.

[Potato]

Just because you can't do something, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do it.

If you don't try to do something, you have no way of knowing you can't in the first place. Ergo, try to do everything.

[Steinherz]

Just because you can't do something, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do it.

I believe I have something that is exactly what you just said:

Monk.jpg (190.58 KiB) Viewed 4679 times

Also, welcome to the forums. We hope you enjoy your stay.

[TexasRanger]

"Maybe we're all like that blind kid, doing things we can't do just because we can" - Rin

Best phrase in the game and your post really reminded me of it.