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Zen Survivor: Difference between revisions
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A character who [[Heroic BSOD|has been through utter hell,]] [[Shell Shocked Senior|and came out sad, cynical,]] and [[Wise Beyond Their Years]]. Part of their wisdom is knowing that it is wasted on most people, so they don't go around babbling it to everybody (that's for the [[Nietzsche Wannabe]]). Instead, they wait until they see somebody who is worthy, and serve as the worthy one's [[Mentors]].
Like an ancient Zen master, a [[Zen Survivor]] never gives straight advice. Instead they speak in odd riddles and hints, delighting in [[Cryptic Conversation]]. They also make bizarre demands, and do [[Training from Hell|cruel, seemingly pointless things]] to their student. This is because (also like a Zen master) they have an [[Omniscient Morality License]]. They know not just the world but their student better than the student does—each of their cruel tests is [[The Only Way They Will Learn|designed to teach a lesson]], and the lesson is always right.
Usually, the Zen Survivor does this because simply giving advice doesn't convince anybody, while odd tests do. If their student is too stubborn to believe them, the Zen Survivor will pretend to give in... and provide just enough rope for the student to hang themselves. Inevitably, the student will [["Well Done, Son" Guy|come crawling back]].
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* [[Bleach|Urahara's]] [[Training from Hell]] and tragic backstory seem to qualify him.
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== [[Film]] ==
* In the sequel to ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'', of all places, Master Shifu tells Po that some masters achieve inner peace through great pain and suffering.
* Tyler Durden from ''[[Fight Club]]''. He uses bare knuckle boxing, chemical burns, car crashes, and terrorist activity to mold the main character into a more confident, assertive, and fulfilled person.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' has both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Obi-Wan, in particular, shows a stark contrast from his [[Deadpan Snarker|sarcastic]] [[Cynical Mentor]] persona in the prequels to his wise, peaceful older self in the original trilogy.
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== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s Lazarus Long is a Zen Survivor. Over two thousand years old
▲* [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s Lazarus Long is a Zen Survivor. Over two thousand years old. His [[Heroic BSOD|utter hell]] has been watching the people he loves grow old and die while he lives on.
* Armitage in ''[[Neuromancer]]'', the first book in [[William Gibson]]'s [[Sprawl Trilogy]].
* Thorkell, the burnt-out [[Horny Vikings|Erling]] raider in [[Guy Gavriel Kay]]'s ''[[The Last Light of the Sun]]''. He's old, tired, estranged from his son, and all but ready to go. Yet despite this, he's oddly at peace with the world, figuring that whatever happens, happens, and spends most of the book as an odd sort of [[Mentor]] to [[Jerkass|Alun]] and [["Well Done, Son" Guy|Aethelbert]], who can desperately use the guidance.
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* Ashley from ''[[South of Nowhere]]'' is a high school girl with negligent parents who had a miscarriage, lost her boyfriend, and came out as bisexual—all during the [[Backstory]]. She serves as a teacher and love interest to the heroine, teaching her about sexual orientation and what kind of people can be trusted. Ashley abuses her [[Omniscient Morality License]] to absurd levels—anything she does, no matter how callous, is always for the best.
* Methos in Highlander is one of these, and much like the page quote has a piece of wisdom he regularly trots out that goes 'Live, grow stronger, live another day'
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'''s Commander Jeffrey Sinclair is very much one of these as ''Entil'zha'' of the Rangers.
* [[Magnificent Bastard|Lionel]] [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Luthor]] of ''[[Smallville]]'' is this to his son, [[Lex Luthor]]. By screwing with Lex's head, Lionel hopes to turn his son into the man he always wanted him to be.
* The title character in ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' is this to pretty much everyone in the show, but particularly to whoever is playing the [[Moral Guardian]] this season.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: [[Socrates]] is reputed to have been one of these. An anecdote says that a casual student approached him for schooling. Socrates invited the boy to sit along the river beside him. When the boy's guard was down, Socrates grabbed him and plunged his head underwater and held it there. When the boy was let up, spluttering and dripping, Socrates calmly asked, "So tell me, what did you want most of all while you were down there?" The boy gasped, "Air!" Socrates said then, "Come back to me when you want to learn as badly as you wanted air."▼
== [[Video Games]] ==
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== Webcomics ==
* From ''[[Girl Genius]]'', Klaus Wulfenbach. Having to go through the pain of a world destroyed by pointless wars made him a bit more cynical. Surviving his lover and a few of his close friends also jaded him. In a slight subversion, he doesn't passively dole out advice. He uses his knowledge to seize and 'fix' the world. The motto on his empire's flag is "Don't make me come down there."
▲== [[Real Life]] ==
▲* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: [[Socrates]] is reputed to have been one of these. An anecdote says that a casual student approached him for schooling. Socrates invited the boy to sit along the river beside him. When the boy's guard was down, Socrates grabbed him and plunged his head underwater and held it there. When the boy was let up, spluttering and dripping, Socrates calmly asked, "So tell me, what did you want most of all while you were down there?" The boy gasped, "Air!" Socrates said then, "Come back to me when you want to learn as badly as you wanted air."
{{reflist}}
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