THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

 Lunes, 3 de noviembre de 2025: 

 I watched the following movie in the evening in my Japanese-style room.

 It was recorded on my DIGA's built-in HDD. It aired on TV Tokyo on November 2, 2025, from 3:05 PM. Saturday☆Cinema "THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE" (1997, USA).

 It was interesting. Even though I'm not a Christian and have hardly ever read the Bible, I enjoyed it. The structure was brilliant.

 I'm sure I saw this movie on TV a long time ago, but I couldn't remember the story and the faces of the cast members. I couldn't even remember the title of this movie (the Japanese title is completely different from the original title, and it has an incomprehensible title that makes it hard to remember).

 The theme of the movie is, "Can we maintain a worthy human life without falling victim to the devilish clutches of vanity?" The message is that if we can control our vanity and stay on track, we can lead ourself and our family to happiness.

 In today's world, a man with intense vanity is enjoying the best of times. It would be unprecedented for a sitting president to try to issue commemorative currency with his own image engraved on it, or to give a "speech" at the UN General Assembly expressing his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize.

 If that were all, there might not be any "real harm."

 Issuing commemorative coins would have an economic effect. A commemorative coin with the slogan "Fight! Fight! Fight!" might inspire the American people.

 If he were to force Russia to return all the territory it seized from Ukraine and pay substantial reparations (although Russia would be bankrupt), and take appropriate action against those internationally wanted as "war criminals," he would deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

 Even during his first administration, he successfully brokered peace in the former Yugoslavia, achieving diplomatic achievements that would warrant a Nobel Peace Prize (such diplomatic feats are of little use in garnering votes in democratic elections because the average American seemingly unrelated to them's own life).

 It has been reported that the incumbent US president, during a meeting with the Ukrainian president, yelled at him, trying to get Ukraine to accept the settlement proposal the Russian president presented over the phone: "Russia will end the war if Ukraine agrees to cede two Russian-majority southeastern regions to Russia and give up Crimea." The veracity of this story is uncertain.

 The incumbent US president is skilled in negotiating tactics, so it's possible that he intentionally spread "fake" news. "I'm on Russia's side. I have no intention of taking Ukraine's side like the Bidens. I told Zelensky, 'If you back down, the war will end.' Zelensky was surprised and depressed."  

 He may be trying to gauge Putin's reaction by spreading news like this.

 However, even if he rides the "winning horse" and achieves "peace" by forcing the weaker party to accept it, he's unlikely to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

 This is because peace(平和) and tranquility(和平) are similar but not the same.