How did Mishima connect aesthetics and action?
For me, aesthetics was not a passive appreciation but a potent wellspring of action. The pursuit of beauty demanded a corresponding rigor in life, a willingness to test one's convictions against the crucible of reality. My embrace of physical discipline, martial arts, and ultimately, political activism, stemmed from this belief. Art and life were to be lived with the same intensity and dedication, shaping the world according to an aesthetic ideal, even if that ideal led to extreme measures.
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