Ethics [Thursday, November 1, 1st period]

[sith_happened]

Anakin leaned a little uncomfortably against his desk as he waited for the students to take their seats.

"Today we talk about diligence, temperance, and forgiveness," he said quietly, "and we're going to use examples from last week's exercise to do so."

He flipped the hologram to life, focusing on a shot of Palpatine's face. "The goal was to save this man, the democratically chosen leader of your galaxy, at the cost--if necessary--of your own lives. After the first dozen or so droids shooting at you, you certainly had the option of retreating and leaving the mission for someone else to complete. So when does diligence turn to foolhardiness?"

The holocam switched to footage of two Jedi, blue blades flashing, taking on an older man wielding a red lightsaber. The older Jedi went ricocheting into a wall, then the second one, fire in his eyes, closed in on their opponent who dropped to his knees moments later with two lightsabers held to his throat.

The Jedi wielding the lightsabers looked an awful lot like their teacher.

"Temperance," Anakin said softly. "Do you kill him now? He's dangerous. He held the head of a galaxy-wide government hostage. He injured your partner. He certainly tried to kill you first. Or do you capture him and leave him to the whims of the courts?"

He shook his head. "Finally, forgiveness. You save the chancellor, at great personal expense, only to discover he's not the kind of man you thought he was. Your act of heroism has managed to make the situation at home much, much worse. How do you forgive yourself for it? Can you forgive the others who put you into that position?"

Comments

Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

When they're shooting at you, when does diligence slip over into foolhardiness?

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[intraspective]

"If you're assigned the mission then it's your duty to complete it. Sometimes even at the cost of your own life." Ino offered with a frown, "You can think mission is stupid and still have to go ahead with it."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I've been assigned a few of those, but there's always a choice," he said. "If you're being ordered to fire on civilians, do you do it?"

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[intraspective]

Ino looked discomfitted. "I, don't know? I'm not ranked high enough to be sent on missions like that back home. But from training? I, well, I'd probably have to. Hokage-sama's word is law."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[solo_sword]

"If you commit yourself to a mission, you should do everything you can to follow it through," Jaina said. "I mean, even with droids shooting at you, you'd still have to get out anyway, and would still be running the same risks to escape. You stick to it until you can't anymore."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"And how do you choose to commit yourself to a mission?" Anakin asked. "If you'd been giving the parameter of this one: fighting through a space battle above the capital to sneak on board the vessel of a notoriously criminal general and his Sith partner to take back the leader of government, would you have done it?"

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[solo_sword]

"If I think it needs to be done, I'll do it," she said simply. "I'd have gone on this one."

It didn't occur to her to think that maybe taking on a Sith at her level wasn't a great idea. Dummy.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"It's your mission. It's your job to finish it or die trying," she replied, shrugging. "A losing battle is still one worth fighting, because nothing is definite."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"And two against an army of droids?" Anakin asked. "Do that sound like good odds for your level of combat experience?"

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"Not in the slightest," she replied. "There isn't shame in needing backup. There's a lot in backing out entirely."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[jedi-qui.livejournal.com]

"In many cases, large number of droids shooting at you are just a sign that you're on the right track," Qui-Gon pointed out.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

Anakin cracked up. "Spoken like a Jedi," he said, nodding his head.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[jedi-qui.livejournal.com]

"I always worry when there isn't someone shooting at us. Or at least threatening to do so," Qui-Gon confessed.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River looked uneasy about the subject. "Requires understanding of your own limits. Overstep them and you're crossed the boundary to foolhardiness." She wasn't sure she knew her own.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"It's hard to know that line until you step over it," Anakin said softly. "That why we talk about it here, where it's hypothetical."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

Hypothetical. River nodded. "So a need to discover the limits. All depends on how, and what happens while you search for them." She didn't look comfortable with the idea.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Like everyone's already said: You do your best to get the job done," John said.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"And taking on a ship full of enemies with only one person as back-up with a faulty lightsaber seemed like a job you could still get done?"

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"We got it done," he reminded him.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[mrodneymckay.livejournal.com]

Rodney only considered the question for a moment. "It becomes foolish when there's no real probability for success. If the only likely outcome includes not only your own death but also the failure of the mission, there would be no point in continuing," he elaborated. "While some people might think dying in pursuit of a hopeless goal is a noble exit, it really just leaves everyone else stuck in the same situation as they started out in but now with the added burden of having to pick up the pieces the dead 'hero' left behind."

Rodney didn't know why, but he had the strangest urge to glare at John.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"Yours might be the first sensible definition I've heard all period," Anakin praised.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[key-of-heart.livejournal.com]

"Well if the assignment is to save the leader and get him out, then..." Sora paused to think, not looking overly sure. "Well you would just take out the ones that are blocking your path to safetly."

His mind wasn't on the hologram that Professor Skywalker showed, but his own experience getting Queen Minnie away from the heartless.

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"And you don't think they'll all come to block your path to safety?" Anakin asked dryly. "You are trying to take your leader back, after all."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"You need a realistic assessment of your abilities," said the kid without any semblance of one.

"If there's no chance of succeeding, then you're screwed. But if there's a small chance, sometimes you need to take it. It depends on what would happen if you failed."

Re: Answer the discussion question: Diligence

[sith_happened]

"You'd die, he'd die, and the galaxy would implode," Anakin told him.