fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, January 19, 2nd period]

"Today we talk about something called the Golden Rule, a concept which unites many of the separate religions on this planet," Anakin began as he leaned against his desk and stared around the classroom. "It sounds altruistic: 'do unto others as you would have done unto you', but there seem to be a few logical flaws in it. What if you don't mind getting poked in the stomach? Does it follow that you could wander around aimlessly poking people? What if you don't see anything wrong with stealing? Or killing? Or hating entire groups of people on principle? If the practical application is supposed to be you randomly help people because they could be good, wouldn't the opposite be that you could randomly harm people because they might be evil?"

He shrugged. "I suppose the Golden Rule could be broken down to 'be nice to people, and they'll be nice to you' but out here in the real world, we all know it doesn't exactly work like that, and the concept could also be reinterpreted as 'it doesn't bother me, so why does it bother you?' Is this a case of aiming for an ideal and hoping that it will cause a ripple effect of positive things, or something overly simplistic that taken to its logical extreme renders itself useless?"

He smiled. "I like to ask nice, easy questions."

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"Something to add?" Anakin asked quietly.

Griff didn't suppose the professor would be too keen on his answer, but he spoke up when asked. "Why should I care about anyone else? Especially the people who hated me first or the ones who tried to kill me off when I was a tot. How is it my job to care if I treat them well?"

Anakin nearly recoiled at the amount of anger there, but it didn't show in his expression. "You don't have to," Anakin said. "I'm a little surprised more people don't agree with you, really."

That surprised Griff given the only person who'd seemed to agree with him today had been Azula. "Yeah, but that lot's more concerned with answering the question like life's fair or ideal or some other nonsense."

"That might be their experience," Anakin replied quietly. "You know differently?"

"You could say that," Griff replied with a bit of a snort. "My whole life story tells it differently, but who am I to gripe over shitty luck? Better to just wait till the ball's in my court and show the people who need it that they don't get to treat me and mine badly." Yeah, that might not be the point of the Golden Rule right there.

Anakin moved his hand down, projecting calm. "Anyone here?"

"In Fandom? No way," Griff said, shaking his head in a look of nonchalance. "I'm working on ensuring there's not anyone else getting screwed over with me, though." Such a good plan, Griff.

"Really?" Anakin asked, still keeping his voice calm. "Do you have a plan at all?"

"Wouldn't call it so formal like a plan," Griff answered. It was more an unofficial bid to keep friends at bay. "I'm just keeping my distance from people who'd try to get involved."

"Cutting yourself off from everyone?" Anakin rephrased.

It was very Jedi thing to attempt, if not for the all of the anger.

"Is it your turn to read me the riot act on that one?" Griff asked, having already dealt with both Karev and Fiona's take on his choices.

Anakin shook his head. "It's your choice to make. My entire Order devoted themselves to the idea that they should hold themselves apart, form no bonds of attachment with anyone."

Anakin had failed rather absolutely in that, but anyway.

"Was your Order hunted?" Griff asked, trying to understand the whys of others.

"Not at the time," Anakin said. "It was an attempt to appear absolutely impartial."

"Guess that makes me lucky, since I don't have to worry about impartiality or any others like me." At least not that he'd found yet.

Anakin pursed his lips. "Is this a recent shift, the cutting people off idea?"

"It's not so much an idea as a necessity," Griff answered cryptically. "But yeah. It's really only made sense lately." He didn't like all the questions, but somehow felt that when a teacher asked, he was meant to answer.

"Ah," Anakin said, remembering some of the more painful moments of his life when he'd tried to cut himself off. He couldn't back it up with fact, but he had a feeling that someone had been doing unto Griff's others. "See me in my office, if you'd like. I could give some tips on how Jedi worked on being less attached to things."

He nodded, deciding it could help to learn how to go about this better. "Thanks, professor."

Ethics [Tuesday, January 19, 2nd period]

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