Because life for humans, whether they grow up in a time of war or of peace, is essentially a fleeting thing, they are constantly seeking power in order to protect themselves from this reality. The reason that humans struggle in search of things like money and power is because they want to defy the fact that they will eventually die and cease to have any importance in the world.
Even the search for inner strength and emotional fortitude is essentially the way that humans fight against this. When she says that she needs to be strong to survive, what she means is that in order to survive the inevitable decay of the things that are important to her, including her own life, she must learn to endure hardship.
[Yukari shrugs.]
In reality, rather than trying to last through the pain of the loss of important things, it's better for humans just to avoid strong attachments in general, since they lack the ability to hold on to the things they love. But even that is impossible for most humans. And so they try to make themselves just strong enough to survive the pain which is inevitable for them.
It's certainly true, that humans are frail and weak, and will eventually decay. However, it is possible to move beyond that frailty, by casting off that weak flesh and remaking it into something that will last for the ages; I have done so.
Money and power are only means to an end, and not something worth pursuing in and of themselves. Striving to create something sublime that will last for all time is a far better use of one's time. True art endures.
There are certain techniques by which humans may achieve immortality, or at least a very long life, beyond what any mortal would normally have. But they aren't exactly common. And the fact remains that even a human who lives forever will suffer if he loves things which are fleeting.
On the other hand, things which withstand the ravages of time tend to be extremely boring. Sensory experiences are fleeting, after all, and they're the best part of living!
Sure, but for how long is it rewarding? Does the creation of something that lasts forever remain satisfying forever?
If I were to tell you that you could create one single thing that would last for eternity, and nothing more, would you be satisfied? Or would you want to create more things?
As for my name, it's Yakumo Yukari. Based on the outfit, I assume you're with Nagato and Madara and the rest, no?
Hmm, I'll admit that I'm not that old, so I can't say when or if, exactly, the satisfaction of creating something truly great fades. The sense of accomplishment I felt upon the creation of my body, my greatest masterpiece to date, has thus far endured for the entire 20 years since I completed it.
I believe that there is more to the creative process, than just the actual finished work. There is also the accomplishment one feels on completing the process of creation, along with the improvement of one's skills that come with the creation of every new work. And in the case of my art, there is also the use that it is meant to be put to.
You see, I create puppets, and they are meant to be used, rather than sit on a shelf only to be admired. A performance on the battlefield is something fleeting, something that may not necessarily be exactly the same every time, but yet, I endure, and the puppet I use endures, so in a sense, that performace also becomes something that endures through my memory, and through the improvement in my skills that every performance affords. So even if I were to be forced to resort to creating things that would not last, they would still endure, because I would endure, and the memory of those things, along with the improvement to my skills and, if it truly lasts that long, the sense of accomplishment that creating them provided would also endure.
This is something that my partner, who also considers himself an artist, is unable to grasp. He creates what he considers to be fleeting works of art, but he fails to understand that it is a pointless endeavor because the memory of what he considers art will die with him. Without something to preserve at least the memory of that work, it may as well not have existed at all.
Twenty years? Aha, well, I guess that's sort of a long time for a human, right?
I don't know. I've been alive for a very long time. But I understand your meaning. So long as you have a body which is sustainable over time, there's no reason you can't continue to live forever, or at least longer than a normal human could.
A word of warning to you, though - even memory grows unreliable. Particularly over time. Even I can't remember much before about 2000 years ago.
Some of the things she's said seem to suggest she isn't a normal human; even if the idea seems preposterous on the surface, his situation as someone who apparently died yet is somehow alive and now stuck in a completely different world, a world that has people who claim to be from other worlds and speak of gods and divine intervention, a place where even dreams can be seen and experienced by others...well, all of that has made him a bit more open to believing preposterous ideas than he used to be.]
It perhaps feels that way for me, as I was 15 at the time I created this body, and thus I've spent more of my life like in this state. I imagine that my perceptions may well change with the passage of time.
The thought that my memory may eventually fade...
[He smirks.] Well, I suppose my perceptions are still close enough to a normal human's that 2000 years seems like a reasonable amount of time for me to devise a solution to that potential problem.
I've already gathered that you aren't a normal human yourself, especially if you're over that age. What are you, exactly?
A solution? I'd certainly love to see something like that. It's unfortunate that I've forgotten so much of what I've experienced. It was probably very interesting, too.
[He blinks. He supposes in a world where gods might actually exist, it's possible that youkai do as well, even if the idea is utterly ridiculous.]
Hmm, I see. I didn't think youkai existed but being brought to this place has forced me to relax my views somewhat on what is possible.
[It's not as though he cares at all about her particular affliction, but the thought of losing his own memories is quite unsettling, so he considers the problem briefly. Besides, it is a bit of an intriguing puzzle given his interest in tinkering with human minds.
It is a problem that he will perhaps devote more time to in the future.]
I'm not certain whether it applies to youkai minds, but from my experience, human minds can be quite malleable, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that lost memories might be recoverable.
It's rather the malleability of human minds which is the problem, it seems. Human minds are more malleable, and so a human will lose their memories even faster than a youkai.
I don't know if lost memories could ever be recovered, but the prevention of memory loss might be a possibility.
[That isn't exactly the sort of thing he wants to hear, particularly when it was the sort of potential issue that he'd never really considered before, as he'd thought that once he had made the transition to this new body, degeneration would no longer be an issue.
Of course, it still may not be something he'll ever have to face, but all the same, perhaps it really would be prudent to begin devoting some time to this particular problem, just in case.
His expression, however, shows none of his consternation.]
It's a problem worth consideration, to be sure.
It is possible to seal and recall memories, so perhaps research along those lines may lead to a technique to prevent memory loss.
The problem with any sort of preservation technique, whether it's mental or physical, is that at some point it requires upkeep. So my own body might be able to last longer than any human body could, but if I don't maintain it by eating and drinking eventually even I would die. Decay is part of the nature of everything that exists. It may be dramatically slower for some things, but without outside input like repair or replenishment, everything falls apart.
I doubt that you would ever find a technique that could preserve memories indefinitely. But you might find something that could preserve them long enough that you could reapply the technique repeatedly and have it last forever.
Even the search for inner strength and emotional fortitude is essentially the way that humans fight against this. When she says that she needs to be strong to survive, what she means is that in order to survive the inevitable decay of the things that are important to her, including her own life, she must learn to endure hardship.
[Yukari shrugs.]
In reality, rather than trying to last through the pain of the loss of important things, it's better for humans just to avoid strong attachments in general, since they lack the ability to hold on to the things they love. But even that is impossible for most humans. And so they try to make themselves just strong enough to survive the pain which is inevitable for them.
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Money and power are only means to an end, and not something worth pursuing in and of themselves. Striving to create something sublime that will last for all time is a far better use of one's time. True art endures.
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On the other hand, things which withstand the ravages of time tend to be extremely boring. Sensory experiences are fleeting, after all, and they're the best part of living!
It's a complicated matter, I suppose.
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Perhaps so, but the creation of something lasting can also be very rewarding.
Oh, I'm afraid that I didn't catch your name. I am Akasuna no Sasori.
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If I were to tell you that you could create one single thing that would last for eternity, and nothing more, would you be satisfied? Or would you want to create more things?
As for my name, it's Yakumo Yukari. Based on the outfit, I assume you're with Nagato and Madara and the rest, no?
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Yes, that's correct, I am part of the Akatsuki.
Hmm, I'll admit that I'm not that old, so I can't say when or if, exactly, the satisfaction of creating something truly great fades. The sense of accomplishment I felt upon the creation of my body, my greatest masterpiece to date, has thus far endured for the entire 20 years since I completed it.
I believe that there is more to the creative process, than just the actual finished work. There is also the accomplishment one feels on completing the process of creation, along with the improvement of one's skills that come with the creation of every new work. And in the case of my art, there is also the use that it is meant to be put to.
You see, I create puppets, and they are meant to be used, rather than sit on a shelf only to be admired. A performance on the battlefield is something fleeting, something that may not necessarily be exactly the same every time, but yet, I endure, and the puppet I use endures, so in a sense, that performace also becomes something that endures through my memory, and through the improvement in my skills that every performance affords. So even if I were to be forced to resort to creating things that would not last, they would still endure, because I would endure, and the memory of those things, along with the improvement to my skills and, if it truly lasts that long, the sense of accomplishment that creating them provided would also endure.
This is something that my partner, who also considers himself an artist, is unable to grasp. He creates what he considers to be fleeting works of art, but he fails to understand that it is a pointless endeavor because the memory of what he considers art will die with him. Without something to preserve at least the memory of that work, it may as well not have existed at all.
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I don't know. I've been alive for a very long time. But I understand your meaning. So long as you have a body which is sustainable over time, there's no reason you can't continue to live forever, or at least longer than a normal human could.
A word of warning to you, though - even memory grows unreliable. Particularly over time. Even I can't remember much before about 2000 years ago.
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Some of the things she's said seem to suggest she isn't a normal human; even if the idea seems preposterous on the surface, his situation as someone who apparently died yet is somehow alive and now stuck in a completely different world, a world that has people who claim to be from other worlds and speak of gods and divine intervention, a place where even dreams can be seen and experienced by others...well, all of that has made him a bit more open to believing preposterous ideas than he used to be.]
It perhaps feels that way for me, as I was 15 at the time I created this body, and thus I've spent more of my life like in this state. I imagine that my perceptions may well change with the passage of time.
The thought that my memory may eventually fade...
[He smirks.] Well, I suppose my perceptions are still close enough to a normal human's that 2000 years seems like a reasonable amount of time for me to devise a solution to that potential problem.
I've already gathered that you aren't a normal human yourself, especially if you're over that age. What are you, exactly?
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And I'm a youkai, actually.
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Hmm, I see. I didn't think youkai existed but being brought to this place has forced me to relax my views somewhat on what is possible.
[It's not as though he cares at all about her particular affliction, but the thought of losing his own memories is quite unsettling, so he considers the problem briefly. Besides, it is a bit of an intriguing puzzle given his interest in tinkering with human minds.
It is a problem that he will perhaps devote more time to in the future.]
I'm not certain whether it applies to youkai minds, but from my experience, human minds can be quite malleable, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that lost memories might be recoverable.
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I don't know if lost memories could ever be recovered, but the prevention of memory loss might be a possibility.
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Of course, it still may not be something he'll ever have to face, but all the same, perhaps it really would be prudent to begin devoting some time to this particular problem, just in case.
His expression, however, shows none of his consternation.]
It's a problem worth consideration, to be sure.
It is possible to seal and recall memories, so perhaps research along those lines may lead to a technique to prevent memory loss.
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I doubt that you would ever find a technique that could preserve memories indefinitely. But you might find something that could preserve them long enough that you could reapply the technique repeatedly and have it last forever.
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So eventually you'll forget how you were made, or why, right? And then what are you? Hmm?
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