Death & Honor

My son and I watched 13 Assassins (preview starts playing automatically) the other night. Samurai in 1840's Japan, subtitled, on a clandestine mission to assassinate a psychopath. They have been given this mission because the psychopath is a Lord who has become an embarrassment to the Shogun. Samurai's are on their way out, things have been peaceful so there hasn't been much call for fighting, so this mission promises to give some meaning to their lives. The chief Samurai who has been tapped for this job needs to recruit some men. He has nine when this kid shows up (at the 00:35:11 mark):

Hirayama:  This is my one and only pupil.
Ogura (the pupil): Ogura at your service.
Shinzaemon Shimada (chief):  Are your parents still alive?
Ogura: Father died two years ago; Mother passed when I was five. I come from a lowly family serving a noble's concubine. Since deciding to live for the sword, I've waited for this day . . . to use my skills for society. Allow me to join you.
Hirayama:  I request that you take him too.
Shinzaemon Shimada:  But he is too young.
Kuranaga: Shinzaemon, you're wrong. Devotion knows no age. A Samurai's life isn't measured in length, is it?
Shinzaemon Shimada:  My logic was shallow. (to the pupil) May we ask your help?
Ogura: Thank you very much. I will surrender my life to serve you.

"My logic was shallow." !?!?! This is totally contrary to the way I was brought up, which was more that life was precious and you shouldn't throw it away because of some foolish notions of honor and glory, or in some stupid pointless war dreamed up by some big shots who just want to throw their weight around. My mom was pretty much anti-military in all it's forms. Kind of crazy when my dad was building weapons.

In The Hunger Games, there are a few contestants who are referred to as "careers". They have trained their whole lives for this event. They expect to win, and given the recent past, the odds are in their favor. Our hero is from District 12 and the people of District 12 have no such expectations. No one from District 12 has won for a long time. All they expect from the games is the death of their two contestants.

So I am thinking things have changed a bit on how people in our society view war and fighting. Or maybe it's just that there are more people who view fighting as foolish and fewer people who care whether a death is an honorable one, or not. Or maybe we have just become a nation of cowardly women. Or maybe we have let women speak, and they are having an influence on the way we think. Or maybe this is just the natural evolution of civilization.