First of all--I spent the past two days doing nothing but watching "Long Love Letters" (or "Drifting Classroom"). It's worth it though. I am so inspired by the messages of this story that I think my life has changed because of it.
1) Live the moment.
It's obvious that "live the moment" will be the central theme of the story the moment Asami writes this phrase down on the blackboard. Asami says that you can't change the past, and you can't change the future. But you can change the present. Don't let opportunity slide--if you like someone, say it. If something has to be done--do it. Live the moment. Embrace the moment. Love it. Appreciate it. In the end, Asami's life in the present is changed by his living the present; so is his future.
2) Human Nature
It's surprising and hard to accept that the adult teachers are the first ones to "crack under pressure". On the other hand, I'm not opposed to the idea that adults are sometimes more vulnerable than children because they tend to have a much more rigid standard of values and a much more limited imagination. Survival of the fittest in the barren future requires an extraordinary ability to adapt, which is something more likely possessed by children, whose minds are as innocent as blank pieces of paper.
Moreover, "Drifting Classroom" makes another really important point: cooperation is paramount. In the story, the people who only think about themselves (ex. robbing or stealing other people's food, refuse to contribute to group efforts that might make the situation better) did not do so well. With limited food (even if they rob those from others), they alone cannot survive because food is going to run out eventually. The other group of students, who worked together, came up with innovations, worked arduously, and took care of each other. This is especially important when resources are scarce.
The story suggested that the reason the future of the world is like this is that once resources became scarce (due to deforestation, pollution, etc.), various nations began fighting one another for food and energy, eventually leading to nuclear war and such.
Out of fear of death, there are always people who are going to harm others in order to procure food for his own survival. But the most effective, beneficial way for survival in the long run is undoubtedly cooperation. Human beings are group animals (whatever you call it). We thrive under a community. Although there are always going to be exceptions, such as one really tough person surviving alone for a very long time, it is not going to be the case when applied to everyone. Moreover, what makes us different from most animals is that we are driven by love and compassion. We live because we want to be with somebody or something that we care. Even when forced to live alone, we are kept alive by the wish that someday we will meet the people and things that we love again. The thing can be as abstract as hope: the hope that someday your life will get better. I can't imagine anyone living just for the sake for living.
Frankly speaking, under desperate situations, I probably would have considered harming other people for my own survival if I hadn't watched this show; but now I know that this is not only harmful to other people, but also harmful to me. Self-destruction among groups can only lead to total extinction. My utopia is a world where homo sapiens can overlook one another's religious, cultural, economical, or whatever differences, tolerate these differences, understand them, respect them--so that we can live together harmoniously.
Another thing is, in the end, Misaki wrote in her letter to the people living in the present that "you might feel it's good enough that you're living comfortably at this moment, even if the world is destined to turn into deserts in the future. But future is open: there are endless possibilities. Even in this world of nothingness, we're doing the impossibles. Even in this world, we still have hope."
She's saying that our actions do matter (however obvious this might sound). You never know what's going to happen, and what your actions will bring about.
3) Environment
The original author of the mango "Drifting Classroom" says that when we talk about the future, we tend to think of flying cars, laser rays, human-looking robots, and all kind of conveniences, but we cannot forget that these conveniences and any advance in technology come with sacrifices. The future is not guaranteed to be as bright as a lot of sci-fi novels pictured. It is not impossible that the future would turn out to be deserts. Endless deserts. It's nice to see people making an effort to conserve the environment nowadays, but this effort is much too minuscule at this moment. Plus, it's one thing knowing that we should conserve energy and protect the environment, and another to actually do it.
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