Ethics [Tuesday, March 10, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

"Love is patient, love is kind," Anakin began, looking down at his notes, then snorted and made the universal symbol for "blah, blah, blah" with his hand.

He might secretly be a soft touch on the subject, but he was hoping no one in the room would call him on it.

"In my version of the Jedi Order, we were taught that in order to maintain the proper distance necessary to negotiate impartially across our galaxy, we were to strive for serenity, not passion. To be Jedi, we should not know anger, or hatred...or love. When we were very small children, we were raised in the Temple so that family loyalty or planetary allegiance would not get in the way of following the will of the Force."

He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced around the room. "Is this an unreasonable standard to hold someone to? Can you stop someone from falling in love? What do you think they were trying to prevent?"

Comments

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[future_sandworm]

"I assume they are trying to prevent the Jedi being ruled by emotion," Leto replied. "But emotion is human, and the fate of humanity is ruled in part by the combined force of those strong feelings."

He remembered his grandmother's concern when she first saw the connection between his father and mother.

"Any strategy that fails to take this into account will be flawed. It will be the weak spot, where unpredictability enters. Humanity has evolved through sexual reproduction based on the seemingly chance attraction of individuals. This creates mistakes, yes, but also the new, unthought future."

He was the result of a long line of careful planning, achieving it's goal by the selfish choices of his grandparents and parents. That led him to a question he felt was important.

"How do you chose your mate? And if love develops within a marriage, how do you deal with it?" Of course, marrying for reasons other than love was something he saw nothing strange in, but even then people often grew close, eventually.

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled softly. "Jedi weren't supposed to marry. In this aspect, I was a very bad Jedi."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[future_sandworm]

"Your children are not born within marriage?" Leto asked, curious.

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[sith_happened]

"Mine were," Anakin said, "but if Jedi weren't supposed to marry, they very definitely weren't supposed to have children. Jedi are trained to work with enormous powers, and the instinct to protect your offspring is a very hard one to overcome. The galaxy didn't need an Order of superbeings who were more interested in protecting their own kind than serving the greater good. If the Order hadn't been destroyed very shortly after the twins were born, I would have been stripped of my rank."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[future_sandworm]

"But your abilities... I thought they were inherited. Why then would you have all those with the strongest potential die childless?"

His Bene Gesserit ancestors thought they were mad!

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[sith_happened]

Anakin shrugged. "Because in everything there must be balance," he said. "Force-sensitivity might run in families, but it's certainly not the only way it manifests itself. And dynasties bring their own issues."

He thought of what Ben and Jaina and Luke were going through and shook his head. "I'm not sure passing on my Force-sensitivity was much of a gift."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[future_sandworm]

"I didn't mean it was a gift," Leto replied. He of all people could certainly understand that. "And dynasties do often stagnate, but at the same time they carry in themselves the seed to their own destruction. In time they fall apart, and then the talents they have nourished will be out to their full test."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[sith_happened]

Anakin knew all too well what weakness he'd passed along. "Which is why the Jedi tried to nip that problem in the bud, leading to their own form of a dynasty, which was then destroyed. And then we start the cycle again, hoping someone along the line has learned a lesson."

He shrugged. "Usually they haven't."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[future_sandworm]

Leto smiled a little. "Then this rule makes little sense to me."

Re: Answer the discussion question [3/10]

[sith_happened]

"It made little sense to me either," Anakin replied. "It's why I broke it."