Nameless: Your Majesty, my task is completed now.

My decision will cause the deaths of

many and Your Majesty will live on. A dead man begs you to remember; a warrior's ultimate
act is to lay down his sword.
Perhaps a comparison could be made between the penultimate acts of Nameless and
Socrates in the sense that their final words implied that they had a reached the point of
ultimate fulfillment. For Nameless, it was realizing that the definitive principle of a
swordsman is to lay down his weapon. For Socrates, he knew that he was ready to achieve
every true philosophers wish of being freed from the body. Their resignation to their fates
pointed at a grand ideal which eclipsed the need to preserve their own lives, and that will be
the main point of reflection in this paper.
It might be beneficial to first evaluate their respective methods of arte to understand
the ideal to which they strove towards. Whereas Nameless sought to master the art of
swordsmanship through meticulous training and obstinate combat, Socrates yearned for
wisdom that befitted a true philosopher through deep reflection. However, these acts were not
done merely for their own personal profit; rather, at some point in their lives, they discovered
there was something more at stake within the greater scheme of things.
At first, Nameless used swordsmanship with the end in mind of avenging his family
who were casualties of the Qin armies attacks. However, towards the end of the movie, it
was clear that Nameless had arrived at the same understanding of order and greater good that
Broken Sword and the king wished to achieve. His excellence in swordsmanship shifted from
being driven by lust for retribution to the pursuit of peace. Nameless learned to put the
greater good of society above his old brand of individualistic justice.
On the other hand, Socrates constantly engaged himself in philosophical reflection
because he believed that every man should task himself with searching for truth. His
commitment to living a life of virtue lay beneath the beliefs and acts he propagated in his life.
Going back to the final scenes of the movie, the similarity between Nameless and
Socrates becomes clearer. They both did not flinch in the face of death because they knew
their mission in life had been accomplished. For Nameless, it was to remind the king to put
the greater good of the whole land at the heart of his reign. For Socrates, it was to purify
himself and set the example of what the good life is for his fellow Greeks. To escape or
fight against their fates would run contrary to what they stood for justice. It was necessary
for Socrates and Nameless to live by example and personify what they believed in. If
Socrates had taken Critos offer and escaped, that would contradict the moral principles he
stood for. For Nameless, defending himself against the onslaught of troops would be a futile
endeavor as he would have to return to his destructive use of swordsmanship.
The main idea I arrived at is justice as a greater order towards a universal good.
Socrates knew he had to follow the laws of the state as part of being a good citizen and for
the sake of a greater order. Nameless also had the same sense of order a king must fulfill his
role as leader of the state and therefore his authority in the state must not be undermined.
Each person in the state has his own role to fulfill and to keep that accord going, the king
must be allowed to live. More chaos and casualties might result from assassinating the king
and this works against building order and justice in society. Furthermore, his assassination
attempt could not go unpunished so as to solidify the kings reign towards peace.
Through the tales of Nameless and Socrates, I have come to a more meaningful
understanding of how the drive towards excellence can help one discover his purpose in
life and work towards justice. One cannot simply wake up one day and say I am now a just
person. Nameless honed his sword techniques through many years and one day discovered
his purpose of using his skills as a means to promote peace. Socrates used his astute way of
thinking while staying open-minded and humble to ascertain his purpose of purifying himself
and share his knowledge with the people around him.
It is important to understand the context of Socrates and Nameless in order to better
apply the insight to our current context. For example, we may ask, What are current avenues
for excellence in todays age where technology is eating up more and more of our daily
tasks?
It would be crucial for a person to examine himself and partake in deep reflection in
order to better understand ones own arte. For example, if one has good communication and
human management skills, perhaps he can gear his efforts towards leadership roles in society.
If someone is inclined towards geometrical figures and arithmetic, he can put his talents into
architecture or finance. It still boils down to making the most of who you are and fulfilling
a useful role in society who strives to do the best he can at what he is good at as part of a
greater order.
The drive for excellence is something well emphasized in the Ateneo education.
However, I dont believe we endure sleepless nights and stress to simply master the technical
skills in themselves. Rather, I think they are channels by which we can discover ourselves
more and figure out how we can best contribute to society. The experience of failing Philo or
Accounting opens the path of becoming a more resilient person. The effort behind following
strict paper formats or making it to class in time forms a system of discipline within a person.
Perhaps it is also important to note that understanding and living out a just life takes requires
careful examination and unyielding resolve. We can draw insight from how Nameless and
Socrates tirelessly honed their respective crafts and stood by their beliefs to become better
persons and achieve a greater form of justice. In our context as Ateneans, we go through the
educational experience in the hope of becoming the best leaders we can be and addressing the
injustices around us. The pursuit of arte, even merely going through process, enables us to
capture values which develop character beyond the methodological aspects.
Miguel Bengzon