for those who might not be familiar, one piece is a long-running japanese manga and anime series created by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with the power to stretch his body like rubber, and his diverse crew of pirates known as the Straw Hat Pirates. Their goal is to find the legendary treasure called the 'One Piece,' which will make Luffy the pirate king. the series explores themes of friendship, dreams, freedom, and the nature of justice.

watching one piece has indeed changed my life. before starting it, i was one of those people who would say, "it's too long; i can't spend my time watching it." but after starting it, i can indeed say it is, in fact, too short, and i'm happy for sundays to come to watch a new episode.

if anyone tells you "it's just anime, it's not real," then run away from that person. these shows were written by people too, human beings like me and you, from their own imagination, and anything imagined can be real (well, to an extent). my philosophy before and after watching one piece is so different; you would think i was a different person, because indeed one piece did change my life. i tell everyone to watch one piece to also have this feeling too.

okay, but what are we doing here? i'm just going to give some points on how one piece affected me and what it made me rethink about my life values, so enjoy.

it's just anime they said. run away from those people.

the power of dreams

i'm a software engineer by default and yes i do have a very deep love for computers and technology in general, i want to learn every single thing, i have concepts of plans of how i'm going to later broaden my knowledge base and study topics like physics and mathematics to better contribute to humanity.

but before i watched one piece, i just wanted to get a job. yeah, a well-paying job, but a job nonetheless. my dreams of contributing to humanity significantly were there, but there was no action, no catalyst. it was just something i thought about and kept moving, because deep down i felt like it was not possible for me. why? factors like where i'm from, how smart i am, what i've done in my past, how much time i've wasted were to blame here. i had no resolve to actually pursue these dreams.

but after watching one piece, and seeing how each of the crew members have their own personal goals, and how each of them are trying their best to achieve them, from as small (well, not small, but not just large enough) as brook trying to find laboon again to as mighty as luffy becoming the pirate king, their dreams and how much they try to pursue them awoke something in me. it made me sit down and think: my dreams are there, but i have no resolve. and it's a fact that it's the people with the biggest dreams that are the strongest. the weak or non-important people in one piece have no dreams or don't pursue theirs, and it's not even a matter of being too small to start. did you see how little koby was at the beginning of the show, and have you seen koby now? because he had a clear dream from the beginning and did all that was possible to achieve it. while i fully believe koby will get there, the feats he has achieved to where he is alone have made him one of the most important people in the navy.

the power of dreams in this show is one of the main drivers of every character. everyone has something they want to do that is greater than who they are presently. in fact, the only way luffy can achieve his dreams is to become the pirate king. read that again: the only way luffy can achieve his dreams is by becoming the pirate king, the most important position in the series. luffy has to become that to achieve his dreams.

there is no way luffy is not winning; his dreams have everyone visibly stunned. that's to show how insane, or how big it actually is, and that is why luffy is the most important character in one piece.

inspired by Luffy's unwavering commitment to his dream, I've started taking concrete steps towards my goal of contributing to humanity through technology. i've begun a personal projects that i'm positive will benefit some people round the world, i'm building projects that will positively impact people around me, and i've just started, there is still soo much time to contribute, let's see how it goes.

the Importance of friendship and brotherhood

now, of course, having dreams is cool and all, but one piece has also taught me the importance of friendship, of brotherhood, of family. my friends may not have noticed, but i became more aware of our bond in the middle of watching one piece. luffy has mentioned numerous times that he cannot become the pirate king without having his crew. luffy wouldn't even be who he is right now without his brothers, ace and sabo.

the importance of relationships of any sort in this show is eye-opening. everyone has someone dear to them that they cherish with all their heart, and then you can see the effects and the sadness that occurs if they eventually lose that loved one. one piece has made me understand this feeling and to better understand where our relationships stand in our lives. i now try to maintain and cherish every relationship with every loved one as much as possible.

cherish your loved ones, hold them close because they can leave at any time. one of luffy's greatest regrets will be not being able to save ace.

luffy couldn't save ace. and that broke him. and he still got up.

never give up on your goals

never give up on your goals, never give up on your dreams, simply put never give up

another lesson that i've learned from one piece: i am a software engineer by profession. do you know how many times the thought of giving up has crossed my mind? of just stopping and being average to escape the pain, the risk, the problems that i may come across later? not even just career-wise, in so many other aspects of my life, i tell myself to keep going. the only people who do know are the ones who keep moving forward.

kindness

another lesson i fully understand from watching one piece is kindness. it's something that, without it, the straw hats wouldn't be where they are now. kindness has taken luffy and his crew to where they are today. each and every one of them has so much kindness to pour out to people around them. everywhere they step into changes after they leave; they don't leave anywhere without making a significant change.

zoro is not nice. sanji is nice to some. but they are both kind. there's a difference.

there is a difference between niceness and kindness. now, not everyone in the crew is nice - zoro definitely is not nice, sanji is only nice to some - but they are all kind. they can't leave someone hurting, and that has helped take the crew to extremely new heights.

standing up for what’s right

i don't think there is anywhere in the show where the crew encountered some sort of injustice and didn't stand against it, especially for people who couldn't fight for themselves. now, this bleeds into kindness a little, but standing up for what's right is very important everywhere we go.

the straw hat crew consistently demonstrates moral courage by confronting oppressive systems, challenging corrupt authorities, and defending the weak. this lesson teaches us the importance of having strong ethical principles and the bravery to act on them, even when it's difficult or dangerous. in our own lives, we can apply this by speaking out against unfairness, supporting causes we believe in, and taking action to make positive changes in our communities.

embracing individuality

a dead person, a raccoon, a criminal, a fish, a robot. luffy doesn't care. that's the crew.

now, this one is a banger point i learned from watching one piece. there is literally no species missing from luffy's crew. he has everything, everyone; every single one of them is different in every way, each with their own individual quirks, and he recognizes their differences as strengths. he has a dead person, a raccoon, a criminal, a fucking fish, a robot - literally nothing is missing from luffy's crew. he doesn't identify differences in people as issues; he embraces everyone for who they are. luffy has never criticized anyone for how they may seem, or where they were born, or what they look like.

this lesson on embracing diversity and individuality is particularly powerful in today's world. it teaches us to look beyond surface-level differences and appreciate the unique strengths and perspectives that each person brings. in our personal and professional lives, we can apply this by creating inclusive environments, celebrating diversity, and recognizing that our differences can be our greatest assets when working towards common goals.

learning from failures

failure is something that occasionally happens in one piece, but what keeps these guys moving is how they don't give up in the face of failure. instead, they keep moving forward. they learn from their failures and use them to get better. the whole team uses their past failures to grow stronger.

this resilience in the face of setbacks is a valuable lesson for real life. it teaches us that failure is not the end, but a stepping stone to success. by reframing our failures as learning opportunities, we can develop a growth mindset that allows us to persist in the face of challenges and continuously improve ourselves.

loyalty and sacrifice

there is literally no better display of sacrifice or loyalty than in one piece, even almost to a scary amount. all the characters have displayed this in some way or another, each a powerful display of how much they are willing to sacrifice for the whole team and their captain. this loyalty is even shown not just in crews, but in friendships throughout the whole show. one of the most powerful displays of this is in the zou arc, where the island was hiding raizo from kaido's men. for days, the whole island was tortured and killed - not just a select few, the whole island was dealt a massive blow by hiding raizo. for days, this kept happening.

but this was just a sacrifice the island had to make to protect their friend. although for a greater cause, it would have been simple to let raizo go to save the island. incredible moment; i cried.

this extreme loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for others teaches us about the depth of human connection and the power of commitment to a cause or to those we care about. while we may not face such dramatic situations in our daily lives, we can apply this lesson by being reliable friends, dedicated team members, and standing by our principles even when it's difficult.

the journey over the destination

the journey over the destination is something i learned from one piece. this was not even something i thought of before the show. before, i felt the journey was not as important as the destination, but one piece turned that around for me. the journey is the important part. in the crew, they will cherish the time they spent together more than the one piece itself. the journey from island to island they were together is what keeps them going. yes, the one piece is important, but if it were not, then luffy would have found it very early in the show. he had the opportunity to get the information from the former pirate king's second man, but luffy said no. one of the most important moments in the show, where luffy could have gotten a shortcut to the island, but he said no. he didn't even want to be told if the one piece is actually real or not.

this lesson reminds us to appreciate the process of growth and the experiences we gain along the way, rather than fixating solely on end goals. it encourages us to live in the present, enjoy the company of those around us, and find value in every step of our personal and professional journeys. > the only way luffy can achieve his dreams is to become the pirate king. read that again.

the value of freedom

and finally, the most important lesson i learned from this show: the value of freedom, something constantly emphasized in the show - freedom. in one piece, freedom is a theme that drives many of the characters, especially luffy, who treasures the ability to live life on his own terms. the series teaches us that true freedom is not just the absence of physical constraints, but the ability to pursue our passions, make our own choices, and stand by our beliefs, even in the face of adversity. luffy's relentless quest to become the pirate king is not just about power or fame, but about the freedom to explore the world, form meaningful connections, and protect those he cares about.

this lesson can be applied to our own lives by prioritizing personal freedom—whether it's choosing a career that aligns with our passions, making decisions that reflect our values, or standing up against societal pressures to carve our own paths.

this is a lesson i try to 100 percent apply in my life now, the value of my freedom in anything. i'm not scared of mistakes; mistakes will come and go, and mistakes are something that is bound to happen when one is free, but that shouldn't stop you. for the greater prize of freedom is the ability of absolute happiness, and this is what luffy wants for everyone, to be happy. that's why he is our joy boy.

One Piece isn’t just a story about pirates; it’s a story about life, ambition, and the human spirit. The way i’ve internalized and applied these lessons should be inspiring, and it’s a great reminder that sometimes the things that seem the least "real" can have the most profound impact on our reality.

thanks a lot for reading.

writing #personal/journal #draft