The translation of Takarazuka's motto: Kiyoku, Tadashiku, Utsukushiku.

This phrase almost took my breath away, the first time I heard it. Somewhere between a poem and a philosophy, I felt it summarized perfectly the sort of person I wanted to become, if not the sort of person I was.

Nobly: Why nobly? Nobody gives a damn about aristocracy anymore, heck, it's even uncool to care what other people think about you. But I do care. I want to be noble, to rise above circumstances, to be aristocratic of soul. I want to embody a kind of moral and philosophical refinement that is visible to other people. Do I? Well, no.

Righteously: "Righteous" is a slightly awkward translation of Tadashii, which means "right", "correct", or "good". It caries moral implications, I think, but not religious ones. I want to be righteous -- seen as the kind of person you can trust with anything, from a trivial secret to a heart. Not only do I want to be trustworthy at that level, I want to be so beyond suspicion that if some kindred spirit entrusted me with a dear secret, they could also trust me so deeply that if the secret had to be told, they would know that I would do it unhesitatingly. Being righteous in word and deed is something I crave. I believe that there is always a Right Thing to do, and I believe that one should always do it.

Beautifully: I think that clearly, any individual who can live up to the first two tenets of this motto has already become beautiful. But this does not mean becoming beautiful oneself is all that is important here. A full appreciation of the inherent beauty of existence is implied; that, in turn, demands an acknowlegement of one's one beauty; one's own strengths and weaknesses. Again, this is not something I can claim to have done.

All in all, a powerful phrase.

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