It Gets Better

The Rising of the Shield Hero, Crunchyroll

I am currently enduring a season of unemployment. It is not the first time I have found myself in such a position, but I hope and pray that it will be the last. There is only so much one person can take. Then again, a person can go through a lot in one lifetime and still remain standing, so there is hope yet.

Though I keep trying and knocking on various doors, I am often met with silence, rejections, or worse—polite rejections. A polite rejection is like a soon-to-be ex who sings your praises and then, in the next breath, suggests that you would be better off with someone else. What am I supposed to do with that?

Anyway, in this season of my life, where I often feel like the world is against me, I find that I can relate to Iwatani Naofumi, the protagonist of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

In the first episode of Season 1, Iwatani is summoned to another world as the Shield Hero, along with three other young men, in order to save the kingdom and its inhabitants from the Waves of Catastrophe. The other men are treated well, given resources, and provided ample manpower. But Iwatani is despised and sabotaged at every turn. The other heroes have abilities that offer offensive capabilities, yet Iwatani is left almost defenceless—save for the small shield firmly attached to his arm.

How will he survive in this unforgiving environment? Through perseverance, he presses on. He proves himself in other ways, forms great friendships, and increases the defence capabilities of his shield. Things get better for Iwatani.

What wisdom can I glean from the Shield Hero? Keep going. Keep trying. Keep improving. It gets better. Sometimes things go severely pear-shaped before the situation improves. I know that it is easier said than done. It is far easier to dwell on what is going wrong now than to look forward to a better future. It’s easier to complain and moan about things not going well instead of seeing failures, setbacks, and rejections as opportunities for growth. Surprisingly enough, misery is the easier option.

If Iwatani can make it in a crazy fantasy world with an undersized shield attached to his arm, surely I can secure decent employment with all the amenities afforded to me by modern life. Surely I have fewer excuses than Iwatani.

I’ll keep going then. Why? Because it gets better. One day, I’ll look back at this season and be grateful for the lessons it taught me.

Or... I could just squander my savings on the lottery in the hopes that I will one day win big. I suppose that’s another option.