fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, November 25]

Today the desks in Anakin's classroom had been pushed along the walls and replaced with cushy pillows and blankets. There was a giant table in the front of the room creaking with the weight of Thanksgiving treats. Fear not--it was all ordered in. Anakin wasn't a fan of ovens.

"Today we talk about sloth," Anakin said, holding himself even more carefully and clearly uncomfortable with the very idea of relaxing. The students were certainly not expected to be held to the same standard. "Originally, sloth was described as 'an uneasiness of the mind'," Anakin continued. "Apathy. Melancholy. Joylessness. And importantly, the decision not to do anything about it."

He shrugged. "The modern view understands that the mind is slightly more complicated than that and sometimes it is impossible to will yourself not to be sad. Instead, this sin focuses on the failure to utilize your talents and gifts."

He gestured at the table. "This Thursday, there is a holiday celebrating sloth--or at least the lethargy that comes from overeating. Millions of people in this country will spend time ignoring their relatives and watching football. It's a national holiday." He shrugged again. "I don't pretend to understand it."

He lit his lightsaber and began slicing the turkey, mostly because he would never, ever, ever get away with that at the Thanksgiving he'd be going to. "So today, embrace your inner sloth and eat until you're ready to take a nap. But first find a fellow student, tell them one of your talents--and no one is allowed to cop out and say they don't have one--and how you use it here at school."

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Meg loaded up a plate and looked for a partner.

Dick walked over to Meg after filling a plate. "I don't suppose a talent for taking really relaxing naps counts, even if that would help me in this class today. What do you think?"

"Personally I think it's a highly admirable skill," Meg laughed. "I can't nap. I keep thinking."

"I mastered the art of the power nap a long time ago," Dick said. It was accidental and out of necessity thanks to the late night schedule he usually kept, of course. "All you have to do is clear your mind. Basically, shoot for meditation and go too far."

"It makes sense. I'm just not sure I'm capable of it," she admitted. "I shut my eyes and instead of relaxing I'm thinking about homework, or what's on TV. I guess I'll have to try to focus a little more."

"But if you don't think napping counts, what other talents do you have?"

"I get along with people pretty easily," Dick said. "That helps school life in pretty obvious ways."

"Oh yeah, especially when you have a roommate," Meg nodded. "If you didn't get along, that could get old pretty fast."

"I have one of those and we do get along. It's actually worked out better than I thought it was going to at first," Dick said. "How about you? Any big talents to share?"

"Same here. Peyton and I get along pretty well. Which is good because this is the first time in my life I've ever had to share a room." It was one of the benefits of being the only girl in the family.

"I play a pretty mean game of tennis," she replied. "I was going to be team captain at my old school."

"Was?" Dick asked. "What stopped that from happening?"

Meg shrugged. "I came here. Where there is a very sad lack of organized sports. But there's also a serious lack of intrusive paparazzi, so it's worth it."

"Maybe we could get a hockey team together to play a team of paparazzi," Dick suggested. "You get your team sports and the photographers learn not to mess with you."

"I will keep that in mind if it gets to be a problem again. It actually sounds like fun," she grinned. "Although I do better on skis then I do on skates. I'm going to be spending a lot of time sitting on the ice."

"That's half the fun of skating," Dick said. "As long as you have insurance. Just in case."

"Cadillac coverage, no worries there. What about you? Are you a hockey player?" Meg asked.

"Not really. It's just a good sport for the season," Dick said. "I am a trained circus acrobat, though."

"Really? That's kind of cool. Really cool even," she smiled. "So you can do all that fancy leaping and tumbling?"

"And walking on wires and all of that, yep," Dick said. "Plus, I grew up around elephants." And he had to clean up after them, too. He usually didn't mention that part.

"I grew up around the occasional Republican. I think your elephants were nicer," she laughed. "Were you scared walking that high?"

"If I ever was, I don't remember it," Dick said. "I got used to it at a really early age."

"That's like me and skiing," Meg said, thinking of the steep runs at Stowe. "They had me on skis when I was three. I don't ever remember not being able to."

Ethics [Tuesday, November 25]

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