fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, March 17, Second period]

Anakin stalked into the room and shut the door firmly behind him. His spin would have been much more impressive if a small shower of Lucky Charms hadn't fallen from his hood.

"Today we talk about wrath," he said. "There's something very human about giving in to our temper," he said. "It's freeing, uncomplicated."

He paused. "At least at that moment. The repercussions are always waiting."

He waved a hand and the holoprojector flipped to life. Frozen in time was a young Jedi with two lightsabers at the neck of an older, clearly defeated enemy. The students might remember the scenario from a few weeks ago.

"This was me," he said, pointing at the young man. "And that older man was evil and threatened my family. It didn't make the choice I made--to kill him while he knelt there--any less wrong."

He looked around the classroom making eye contact with every student before continuing. "Wrath is very, very tempting. It urges you to listen to that dark little voice inside of you--to cut loose, live without consequences."

He pointed at the holo again. "There are always consequences. This moment has stayed with me, made me the person I am. It wasn't a positive influence."

Anakin stopped pacing. "What would it take for you to get to that hazy edge? And more importantly, how do you stop yourself from giving in?"

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"A threat to my family prevented me from approaching my mission logically," Anakin retorted. "I was supposed to be doing something else and got distracted."

"And loyalty to your family wasn't important? Isn't that the mission every one should carry with them all their lives, to protect and avenge their family?"

"Not for Jedi," Anakin replied. "We were taken from our families at very young ages to prevent that sort of loyalty from blinding us. We serve the will of the Force. And the Force has no use for vengeance."

"And what about the new family that I believe the Jedi order can be?" Leto asked. "But without vengeance, without passion, what are you?"

"Safe," Anakin replied immediately.

"But not human," Leto replied. "There is no safety for humanity."

Anakin thought about it. "I don't need to be human," he finally decided. "I am Jedi."

"And what are Jedi?" Leto asked, the words machines forming in his mind.

"Not machines," Anakin replied. "We're faster than machines, too."

Leto blinked, not used to having his mind read that clearly. Some of his ancestors reacted with anger, and he pulled his mental walls up closer.

"Then what?" he said.

"For us 'Jedi' is enough of an answer," Anakin replied evenly. "We have abilities beyond what most beings have, so we have responsibilities beyond what most beings have as well. And make sacrifices most of you seem to find appalling."

"Like giving up your humanity," Leto replied quietly.

The Golden Path. The exact meaning of that wasn't clear to him, not yet, but the sacrifice had been too great for his father.

"We still have emotions. We just don't act upon them." He pointed to the holoprojector. "When I did, terrible things happened."

"You try to break the connection between emotion and action, then," Leto observed, not quite seeing the difference.

"Exactly," Anakin said.

Ethics [Tuesday, March 17, Second period]

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