Living with a broken heart

[stranger]

There's a pretty famous philosophy professor I know of named Robert Solomon. He began his career aiming to be a doctor, but was unhappy doing pre-med, and while skipping class stumbled into a lecture hall where a professor was discussing Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence and right then decided to change his direction. Over the course of his career he's written dozens of books on philosophy, especially Existentialism and interpretations of Nietzsche, propounding prolonged examination and active engagement with living. Not long ago I learned that Solomon (who died about three years ago at 63) had been born with a genetic heart defect, and wasn't expected to survive into adulthood. After reading his work for months, I was blown away. He shot to the top of my list of most inspiring people. He had a hole in his heart and lived his life with death hovering inches above his head, and yet earnestly took what was dealt him and built a career teaching the idea that we are entirely responsible for ourselves, and can make what we want of our lives regardless of circumstance.

He's featured in Waking Life, providing a conveniently animated snippet of some of what he talks about



In relation to the game, I really want to see (or make) Hisao own up to his condition. You can't honestly go through the day-by-day cripple stud routine when you really truly could be dead the next week or the next day or in an hour. Most of us expect to live till we're old and withered in some distant future of flying cars, and have time to screw around, but for Hisao and Solomon that is/was always in immediate question. It is essential to take a position on this question, "why am I alive?" when every heartbeat is a reminder that we are "being-towards-death", as Heidegger puts it.

[G3n0c1de]

Throughout act 1, Hisao appears to be struggling with his condition. I'm sure it's in all paths, but I remember best Shizune's festival scene. One moment, he's having fun, but then he has to stop because of his condition. If I recall correctly, he says something along the lines of it being pathetic that he can't even throw balls in a simple game without having thr fear of dying. He's frustrated, angry, and depressed that he has to live with these constraints on his life. This carries on to the next scene on the roof.

I expect Hisao will come to terms with his condition in each path slightly differently, thanks in large part to whichever girl he is persuing.

[Sajomir]

I expect Hisao will come to terms with his condition in each path slightly differently, thanks in large part to whichever girl he is persuing.

This is the single thing I look forward to most about the game.

[Darroth]

I expect Hisao will come to terms with his condition in each path slightly differently, thanks in large part to whichever girl he is persuing.

That would be five different kinds of awesome

[Smoku]

As much as I don't agree with Nietzsche and Heidegger is my eternal nemesis, I find Existentialism quite interesting. The name Solomon isn't all that unknown to me, but I never seen his works, sadly.
I had no idea of such a life he lived, that's very interesting.
But I think Hisao's case is a bit different and less life threatening, since he's in constant care of Yamaku medical staff and he's on dozens of drugs. Well... Arrhythmia seems a bit different then Solomon's defect, but yes, he is ways closer to Death, then we are.
I wonder what is Hisao's estimated life span.

[G3n0c1de]

That would be five different kinds of awesome

Indeed it would be. The concept sort of reminds me of the good ends in YMK. The protagonist's crazy experiences (and I don't mean all that sex) with each girl filled the same void he had in his life in a different way. His apathy was replaced by something each girl provided him. They painted over the same gray spot with thier own unique colors. In return, the protagonist helped each girl with a major problem they had. And in the end it was diabetes all around. Perhaps KS will turn out similarly? Though I'm sure the devs have a few tricks in store for us.

[stranger]

As much as I don't agree with Nietzsche and Heidegger is my eternal nemesis, I find Existentialism quite interesting. The name Solomon isn't all that unknown to me, but I never seen his works, sadly.
I had no idea of such a life he lived, that's very interesting.
But I think Hisao's case is a bit different and less life threatening, since he's in constant care of Yamaku medical staff and he's on dozens of drugs. Well... Arrhythmia seems a bit different then Solomon's defect, but yes, he is ways closer to Death, then we are.
I wonder what is Hisao's estimated life span.

I imagine Solomon took a lot of heart drugs too, and yes medical staff are around, but in the face of the possibility of heart failure, how adequate is that? I don't think Hisao really could or would feel much better about things, given what he's experienced. None of those things can do anything to make the problem go away.

Indeed it would be. The concept sort of reminds me of the good ends in YMK. The protagonist's crazy experiences (and I don't mean all that sex) with each girl filled the same void he had in his life in a different way. His apathy was replaced by something each girl provided him. They painted over the same gray spot with thier own unique colors. In return, the protagonist helped each girl with a major problem they had. And in the end it was diabetes all around. Perhaps KS will turn out similarly? Though I'm sure the devs have a few tricks in store for us.

The idea that other people could actually "fill the void" in us is something that I and most modern philosophers would adamantly disagree with. Other people might influence us in different ways, but what it comes down to is that we ourselves choose to accept certain values, we aren't just "programmed" by our surroundings. So too is what I described a deeply personal issue that Hisao should ultimately have to judge on his own. It's his life and his life alone that's on the edge, and no one else has the investment in it that he does. He might think something like "I can't die because Hanako wubs me" but that's really just running away from the responsibility of making his own choice. Actively dedicating your life to someone could be an "authentic" action, if that's what he chooses, but honestly, who would make that decision while still in high school? For each path, I'd want to see Hisao come to the same decision about himself each time, while using maybe different phrasing for it depending on who he's with.

[Farvana]

What decision? I thought the main problem Hisao has now is how to approach his life now that it's dependent on drugs and immediately available medical care.

That approach is going to be enormously influenced by his surroundings and his closest friends. There will be almost nothing from his previous life that will help him make sense of things; I know the large majority of high schoolers have no clues on how to deal with their own mortality, let alone having a life-threatening condition that will forever set you apart from your healthier peers. That might be the strongest asset a Yamaku education could have: "how to live" and "what to live for" are questions that can be answered together with people who are asking with an urgency few others can relate to.

Hisao can take a hint from Shizune and see arrhythmia as something to be beaten.
Hisao can follow Emi's lead and compensate health-wise, feeling the best he can.
Hisao can learn to take life with a sense of humor, like Rin.
Hisao can relax and enjoy what comes each day in Lilly's company.
Hisao can do his best to help those around him in need, such as Hanako.

These aren't the same "choice", if I understand what you mean by choice. These are "answers" that are almost entirely influenced by the people he associates with.

[ContinualNaba]

I think a major plot point could be near the end of the school year, with Hisao debating over which university to pick, yet being fully aware of his condition. While it doesn't have to be spelled out that in spite of near-fatal constants he's striving to live a normal life, it'd be a nice insinuation.

Or he could just end up as a less talented yet still integral part of his interest's lives. Shizune's translator/secretary, Rin's manager etc are high-class, respectable jobs that he would have probably gotten anyway, given his academically listless nature.

[Ingame]

He had a hole in his heart and lived his life with death hovering inches above his head, and yet earnestly took what was dealt him and built a career teaching the idea that we are entirely responsible for ourselves, and can make what we want of our lives regardless of circumstance.

Interesting. Never heard about Solomon to be honest, though I have read quite a bit about heart defects, since I have one myself. There are three different heart conditions with a hole in the heart. I've got one called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Basically we're born with a hole in the heart which causes an opening in the wall between the chambers in the heart. People with ASD has a hole between the two chambers at the top of the heart while VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) is between the two at the bottom. The last condition is called Atrioventricular Septal Defect where the hole is located in the middle of your heart, between the atria and ventricles. A typical symptom of this defect is feeling tired or short of breath from even the slightest of physical activities. This is because an unusually large amount of blood is flowing to the lungs which will damage it over time. People often don't realize their condition before they see a doctor, who in my case first diagnosed me with asthma, but later found a weird murmur while listening to my heart. The murmur is caused by the unusual amount of blood flowing through the heart. I don't know if this is the defect Solomon had, although I tried looking him up it only said he had a heart defect, but not which one.

Edit: Thought I'd add that this condition isn't really serious today and can be repaired through surgery, though this probably wasn't the case when Solomon was young since they didn't expect him to live into adulthood.

[Smoku]

I find this medical information highly interesting, Thanks, Ingame.

The last condition is called Atrioventricular Septal Defect where the heart is located in the middle of your heart, between the atria and ventricles.

You mean the HOLE is located in the middle of the heart, I think.

[Ingame]

Yes, thanks for correcting me. ^^

[stranger]

That approach is going to be enormously influenced by his surroundings and his closest friends. There will be almost nothing from his previous life that will help him make sense of things; I know the large majority of high schoolers have no clues on how to deal with their own mortality, let alone having a life-threatening condition that will forever set you apart from your healthier peers. That might be the strongest asset a Yamaku education could have: "how to live" and "what to live for" are questions that can be answered together with people who are asking with an urgency few others can relate to.

Hisao can take a hint from Shizune and see arrhythmia as something to be beaten.
Hisao can follow Emi's lead and compensate health-wise, feeling the best he can.
Hisao can learn to take life with a sense of humor, like Rin.
Hisao can relax and enjoy what comes each day in Lilly's company.
Hisao can do his best to help those around him in need, such as Hanako.

These aren't the same "choice", if I understand what you mean by choice. These are "answers" that are almost entirely influenced by the people he associates with.

So what you're saying here is that Hisao has to defer to the people around him to decide his life. The girls are going to decide what his attitude will be for him, they're practically his stand-ins. What I've just been saying is that people aren't like that. You can expect something like what you've given in a VN with a faceless protagonist (essentially a non-being). With that sort of game, the audience doesn't want the protagonist's life distracting them from the girls (and the sex), they exist for no other purpose but to facilitate interaction with them. But if Hisao has at least some claim to humanity, he's going to bring his own cards to the table regardless of whether he's faced his mortality or not. He would have to have an extremely weak will to even try to imitate someone else in so important a way, and even then it's not like he can mind-meld and know how Emi or Shizune would really respond in his place.

[Smoku]

I believe that indeed Hisao's attitude will change depending on the path he chooses. it does not mean that he will change because of the influence oft he girls but because of our choices as players. Bah, maybe not even "change" in a strict sense, but rather that we determine his personality. Make a choice and it makes Hisao say that yea, he's just like that.

[whiteflags]

You can expect something like what you've given in a VN with a faceless protagonist (essentially a non-being). With that sort of game, the audience doesn't want the protagonist's life distracting them from the girls (and the sex), they exist for no other purpose but to facilitate interaction with them. But if Hisao has at least some claim to humanity, he's going to bring his own cards to the table regardless of whether he's faced his mortality or not.

I think we would do well to not forget that Hisao is exactly this type of protagonist and his condition is there for sake of plot convenience in an erotic novel. I agree with you that Hisao is not going to "own up" to his condition because of the girls, but I also think the point is moot because he will make that decision anyway. The decision to take care of yourself is uninteresting and without drama. We're interested in who he loves and why, not really whether he follows through with his personal care.