Surviving (and Thriving) on Fandom Island, Week 11 (Wed., Period 3)

[atreideslioness]

When students arrived at the Danger Shop this week, they'd find that their teachers had segmented it into different zones.

"Stress," Ghanima said briskly, once it appeared everyone who was coming had arrived. "I am quite sorry to say that you will continue to experience stressful situations once you graduate from Fandom. High School does not have a monopoly on trauma."

"Unfortunately." Tahiri looked apologetic, as if she'd somehow failed to keep trauma from spilling over into life after high school. "It isn't something that goes away, really. Which means . . . you'll have to figure out how to manage it so it doesn't get in the way of dealing with the rest of your life."

Because Jedi were so good at it.

They really were. Ghanima didn't have any philosophical disagreements with the Jedi Code and how they dealt with emotions and trauma. At all. Really. *ahem*

"There are a number of effective coping strategies for stress," Ghanima continued smoothly. "We will be focusing on the ones that are emotionally and physically healthy and productive."

Sorry, kids, no fake booze in the Danger Shop today.

"My personal favorite is sparring," she said, gesturing towards the segment of the Shop set up with training dummies, mats, and other gym equipment. "Physical activity is an excellent method of getting out of your own head, so long as you are following basic safety protocols during your match or while using equipment. Recklessness will only cause more emotional issues in the end, when you inevitably end up causing damage; to property or people."

"That's a good one, and it usually helps to be working with someone you know and trust," Tahiri agreed. "Someone who can help you if you do get too much into your own head during a spar. But on the other hand, opposite of exercising, there's always food. Comfort eating, if that's more your thing. Like ice cream. That's a classic." There was a touch of an affectionate grin on her face.

"Cat videos," Ghanima offered. "Or real pets, if you know one. Animal therapy is a medically-confirmed method of improving your social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. For those who are allergic or cannot have an animal, I hear there is a lovely app for the phones that is full of kittens that play with toys."


"And occasionally do some eating therapy of their own." Not that Tahiri had gotten a little bit hooked on Neko Atsume. Nooooooope. "There's also reading, or going for a long walk, or -- there are a lot of ways to deal with stress, is the point, and it's a good idea to find the ones that work for you, because you're going to need them at some point, if not while you're here. Getting adjusted to going home after Fandom, for one, can be pretty stressful." Even if you didn't end up spending all your time trying to get people from vastly different cultures to learn to live together.

"When I'm not here, I'm the co-ruler of an Empire," Ghanima said dryly. "Somehow, Fandom, in all its whimsy and madness, is less-stressful than the rest of my life. I spend a lot of time making tea and throwing knives. Take that as you will."

Ethics, Wednesday

[saddeserthermit]

"There is a proverb on this planet," Obi-Wan said quietly. "'Forgive and forget.'" If he had noticed the influx of children last weekend, he was not saying a word about it. There might have been a reason for that.

Anakin nodded. "Given the number of bags that were reported on the radio last week, I'd venture that this island, in general, has problems forgetting and forgiving."

"Some of you also had your slate wiped clean for the weekend," Obi-Wan said. "These two factors combined bring us to today's topic: regret. How do you handle your own regret? How do you handle another's?"

"The people here, on the whole, tend to be astonishingly forgiving when the island's...whimsy...leads to gender-switching, sudden attack of childhood, or being someone else for the weekend. I don't think the rest of the world would be nearly as sanguine with the idea of, say, sleeping with someone else's girlfriend because you thought you were someone else," Anakin said.

"Forgiveness can hence be... situational," Obi-Wan said. "But I am certain there is at least one of you who has woken after such an event filled with regret, in spite of any assurances that you were not the one who chose to do the things you did."

Regularly, if you were Anakin. "Where does regret slip into self-loathing?" he asked. "Why is it sometimes easier to forgive others than ourselves?"

Definitely not looking at Obi-Wan there.

"Or, for some of you, why is it easier to forgive one's self than to forgive those around you?" Obi-Wan asked. "Are all regrets created equal?"

"Is there a mental limit you have for forgiving or excusing the same person?" Anakin added. "Think about it for a moment, then we'll discuss it."