Learning Hope Beyond Death from "White Spring: A Song for You" [Creative Awards Review]
The long-beloved "White Spring: A Song for You" has reached its conclusion.
A one-of-a-kind work that deals with life, death, and love.
Now that the final chapter has arrived, I felt a part of me that had always wanted to write a review, so I decided to take up my pen, albeit a bit late.
First, please allow me to write just a little bit about my thoughts on the final chapter that just arrived. (No spoilers✨)
What is light?
It is what ignites in a loving heart.
Light is not something you search for outside, but something that ignites in a loving heart.
Just being able to read this part made me feel from the bottom of my heart that I was truly glad I read this novel.
In the ending, which was likely chosen with great intention, I felt Mitsuru-san's dedication to the work and the high level of perfection as a literary piece.
Thank you so, so much for your hard work on this long-term serialization!
Now, from here on, I would like to write my thoughts on "White Spring" as a whole.
The first thing that surprised me was the weight of the chosen theme.
It is an entry for the 2024 Creative Awards, but a work themed around a dying heroine is not something that can be written with a light heart; I believe it required very deep insight.
I believe this is a work that could only have been written because Mitsuru-san, one of the authors, actually works in a hospice and is at the forefront of end-of-life care.
I express my deep respect to Mitsuru-san for the resolve to handle the sensitive subject of "death," and my admiration for the fact that you face "death" in your profession every day is endless.
And then there is Hikaru Nakagawa, who pursued the image of a heroine facing death.
I believe it is not easy to consider the feelings of a terminal cancer patient and delve into that state of mind.
I felt the resolve and determination of a professional writer who was determined to see it through no matter what!
You truly did a great job.
The format involves two co-authors weaving a story from the perspectives of a man and a woman respectively.
Furthermore, it incorporates works that each had previously published, such as essays and poems, into the novel.
I think many aspects of it were creative and innovative.
And above all, what was most interesting was how the characters discussed their views on death throughout the work.
What seemed particularly impressive was the view of life and death expressed by one of the hospice patients, Sister Kanzaki.
“No matter how old a person is, when it is time to die, they die.
That is the same for you and for me.
There is no point in struggling against it, is there?
You can find peace if you just think that everything is in God's hands.”
It is a truly philosophical way of looking at things. As expected of a seasoned sister.
Her mindset toward death is indeed different from that of an ordinary person.
It depicts a member of the clergy who does not fear death and spends her remaining days in peace.
If I may be so bold, an article I introduced on my Note also features a similar passage.
For those who have grasped the truth in this world, those who have attained enlightenment, even 'death'—the very act of dying—is actually not scary.
For those who have mastered control of their minds and know of the afterlife, 'death' is by no means something to be feared, but rather a journey to a new world.
I believe Sister Kanzaki was well aware of that enlightened state of mind.
And it is revealed in her final letter that Sara had deepened the lessons she learned from Sister Kanzaki even further.
I heard some very impressive words from Sister Kanzaki.
“The reason we who have faith can view 'death' calmly is because there is 'hope' beyond death.”
That is what she said.
That made me strongly feel that I wanted to become that 'hope' beyond death myself.
Even if I go to the world beyond death, I always want to be hope for someone.
If possible, in the future, I want to be hope for you above all else.
For Sara, who is writing this letter, the world after death is already just around the corner.
Those who have faith believe in God and in the afterlife, and thus find hope beyond death.
From that, what Sara derived was a strong determination: "Even beyond death, I want to continue to be a source of hope for someone."
I believe these were words of love, expressing a desire to be a light for a loved one even after death, rather than fearing or grieving it.
And those words of Sara's reached Miura's heart, leading to the final episode mentioned earlier.
(*If you do not want the ending spoiled, I recommend reading the main story before proceeding.)
The light I once thought of was being alive, being loved.
But if that were true, would people like Ueno, who are no longer in this world, not be light? Or does someone living in solitude, unloved by anyone, have no light?
I don't want to think that.
Until now, I had a passive view of light. I must have assumed it was something outside of myself.
What is light?
The cherry blossoms I glimpsed through the drawing scale and her tears I saw from the stage come back to me vividly.
...At this moment, I finally realized.
What light is.
It is something that ignites in a loving heart.
The light that Sara ignited has surely been passed on to Miura.
And Miura, by possessing a loving heart, begins to ignite the light himself.
Thinking I might go home, I was about to stop playing when...
I noticed someone in the corner of my vision, facing this way with their head bowed.
Huh?
You are...
A light ignites in my heart.
It's okay.
You are light.
Will you listen to the song I'm gifting to you?
I held my guitar.
Because this is a story about your white spring.
The moment when the warm light inherited from Sara and ignited in Miura's heart is passed on to someone else's heart.
It was a beautiful ending that felt both poignant and lingering.
Everyone will eventually face death.
I myself write on note every day, thinking that I might not have a tomorrow.
But like Sara, I believe that even if I disappear from this world, the light I cast to love someone will remain forever and continue to circulate through this world.
Today, too, I want to be someone who ignites light from a loving heart and passes that light on to others.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to encounter the work 'White Spring: A Song for You' and for the chance to write this review.
I hope that through this work, a light will be kindled in the hearts of as many people as possible.
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🌸 This article is a submission for Hikaru Nakagawa's project 🌸
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