Learn to listen to your surroundings
At the end of 1944, Japan was losing the war. On December 1944, Hiroo Onodo, the lieutenant was deployed to the small 16 miles long island of Lubang in the Philippines with orders to slow down Unite States’ progress and never surrender. This mission is considered as one of the suicide mission.
In February 1945, the American army arrived on the island and took it with force. Within days, most of the Japanese soldiers had either surrendered or been killed. Onoda and three of his men managed to hide in the jungle and fighting against the U.S. forces. Due to the dense of the island, they managed to stay hidden.
In the mid of 1945, Japan surrendered after atomic bombs were dropped by the USA. But the soldiers who are hidden, scattered like Onodo were not aware of the Surrender and the continue to fight against the U.S. forces and the local population, attacking supply lines. This affected the Philippines government as they couldn’t rebuild the war-affected places.
The first hint
The U.S. military, as well as the Japanese government, dropped thousands of leaflets with the text “The war ended on August 15. Come down from the mountains.” throughout the Pacific region, announcing that the war was over. The soldiers whoever found the leaflets started returning home. But unlike most of the others, Onoda decided that the leaflets were a trap set by the American forces to get the fighters. So he burned the leaflets, continued to fight and stay hidden. They survived by eating coconuts and bananas and occasionally killing a cow.
Five years later, the leaflets stopped and most of the American Army returned to Home. But Onodo Still continued to fight, shooting farmers, attacking locals. Philippines government setup flyers and spread the news believing that the soldier will stop and return. But Onodo ignored this.
Another hint
In 1952, The Japanese government, air-dropped letters, pictures, missing soldiers, notes from families including the personal note from Japan emperor himself. Again Onodo ignored this and continue to fight. After a few years, local people started fighting with Onodo as they continuously struggled because of Onodo and his men. Few men surrendered and few were killed.
A decade later, Kozuka who is Onoda’s last companion, was killed in a shootout with the local police. This news reached Japan and people wondered and believed that Onodo might be alive. This happened half-century after World war 2 was over. Onodo lost most of his life running and chasing in the Jungle of Lubang all alone.
As months passed, People criticized him, fantasized him. Onodo was considered as part of the hero and part of the myth. His story becomes an urban legend. Few people even thought that his story is made-up one by those who don’t believe Japan lost in the war.
One more hint
In the mid-1970s, a young adventurer named Norio Suzuki found Onodo. He said Onodo that the war is over and Japan lost in the war. But still, Onodo refused to believe it and said that he will believe only if he receives an order from his superior.
After some months the Japanese government located his superior major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who eventually flew down to the island and asked Onodo to surrender.
After his return to Japan, he found that Japan had lost all of the traditions. He tried to expose the values of old Japan. But his words are unheard. Onoda became more depressed than in the jungle because in the jungle his life had stood for something.
It's hard to imagine that how Onodo survived on that island for long 29 years. Its makes no sense for a person to fight in a war that ended many years ago. Yet Onoda later in his life, said he regretted nothing.
“I don’t consider those 30 years a waste of time, Without that experience, I wouldn’t have my life today”.
He claimed that he was proud of his choices and his time on Lubang. He said that it had been an honour to devote a large portion of his life in service to a nonexistent empire. In 1980, Onoda moved to Brazil, where he remained until he died.
The above is an excerpt from “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****” by “Mark Manson” and you can get it from Amazon.
