Ethics [Thursday, September 23, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

Anakin scrawled Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.--TS Eliot on the board and then turned around to face his students. "Pride--or hubris, if you speak Latin--in the Catholic religious tradition of this planet, is considered the original and most serious of the deadly sins. In order to deal ethically with other people, we need to acknowledge this very human flaw in ourselves and others. We want to believe that we are different, better than everyone around us." His gaze sharpened. "We're not. Everything is connected. You, me, the rocks outside, the deer in the preserve, the beings who live across the causeway, the trillions who make up the multiverse around us." He smiled a little ruefully. "The dozens of different versions of yourself others might have met before arriving on this island..."

He leaned back against his desk. "I grew up as a slave on a desolate planet beyond the normal reaches of the law in my society. When I was rescued by Jedi and told that with training, I could be like them, my pride in myself and my abilities quickly spiraled into arrogance and disdain for those who were teaching me. It took some very difficult lessons for me to realize that pride was probably my greatest fault."

Though there were arguments for most of the other Deadly Sins, too.

"So, learning to swallow our pride and admit we're not quite as special or brilliant as we thought we were is never a fun process," he continued. "How high do the stakes have to be before we'll admit we've made a mistake or have been fooled?"

Hopefully everyone else doesn't have to be limbless, on fire, evil and alone first...

Comments

Sign in [9/23]

[sith_happened]

Full of pride and arrogance!

(God, it's sad how many of Anakin's icons apply to this...)

Re: Sign in [9/23]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara

Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[sith_happened]

Hello there, random insight into Anakin's backstory.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[wrongkindofsith]

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Midlands, one Richard Cypher had just been overcome with the impulse to start bashing his head against the nearest tree without really knowing why.

It was completely unconnected with Cara's current expression. Really.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[nohaircutsplz]

Anakin lost Medusa for a while at the part about how none of them were any better than the people around them. She was surrounded by humans, so obviously that did not apply.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Um. Not that Kennedy was slouching a little in her chair during the lecture or anything. Or looking just a little like it had touched a nerve.

Because neither of those things were on her current to-do list. At all.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

James sighed. He was no stranger to lectures--sometimes a mere tongue-lashing, othertimes a beating--about pride in his abilities. This would be a great lecture.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[furnaceface]

Pride, hm? Jono's eyebrows raised a little as he listened to the lecture, particularly Professor Skywalker's recounting of his own past.

The things you never knew about people...

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[talks-backwards.livejournal.com]

He had been a what? And rescued by whom? Desolate planet?

Once Zatanna processed all that she was going to think about the lecture a bit more.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

The lessons on the dangers of pride had certainly not been in short supply when it came to William's pre-Fandom education, so while this wasn't exactly new, Professor Skywalker did seem to have a knack for making the lesson more... personal.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Hey I don't think I'm any better than anyone else. Leda thought.

She was quite proud of this.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

Azula had heard iterations about this lecture before and that was all Azula going to think on the matter.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/23]

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall clutched at his necklace with a frown on his face.

(What's wrong with having pride in yourself?)

Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[sith_happened]

"Pride goes before a fall. How far a fall did you need?"

Or do you still believe you are invincible and need nothing and no one? Anakin does teach teenagers, after all.

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Some of us aren't allowed to have pride in the first place," Elphaba said. "While I do believe in myself, I know that I am limited in what I can do in Oz. It is only here in Fandom that I find the possibilities... unlimited. But if you can't admit you're wrong on little things, you're probably going to need something very big to happen before you look past your own folly. Most people don't have the ability to look past themselves, really."

Oh so cynical.

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[nohaircutsplz]

Medusalith was one of the prouder people in the Marvel universe, and would continue to be so even after she fell off the edge of a city. She didn't understand the question, so she said, quite honestly, "I don't know."

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"Several. The worst was from four stories." The pain on his face was not from the fall itself, but knowing that by saving his prince, he caused the assassin to hit the princess with the poisoned bolt.

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[dontvotemeout]

Jason wasn't sure why people seemed so antsy at today's topic. He was pretty calm when he said, "I don't know. I mean, really, 'cause being prideful of my abilities has only brought me good things."

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[wrongkindofsith]

"Pride gives you strength." No doubt Anakin would be deeply shocked to learn that Cara's inability to grovel helped to nearly get her executed once. "But if you'd like to talk arrogance, acting like covering yourself in false humility makes you a better person is one example that springs to mind."

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[furnaceface]

Well, Jono hadn't lost any limbs, per se, but he had a touch of experience with fire and loneliness.

//And if it wasn't a fall that could have been prevented through humility?//

What difference would it have made, either way? He'd still be a hollowed-out chamber of psionic energy. Didi would still be gone. It felt like far too many of his falls were ones that were completely out of his grasp.

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[talks-backwards.livejournal.com]

"Does it count if one doesn't really need to fall that much?" Because honestly speaking, Zatanna wasn't much of a prideful person, unless she was bragging about her father. Sure, she had magic, and sure she had potential, but she didn't see the point on making castles in the skies.

"...is it prideful to say I am not prideful?"

Re: Answer the discussion question [9/23]

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

"Not very far, I have to admit," William shared. "Everything I have, I owe to- someone else," ironically there was a bit of pride there stopping him from using the word 'charity'. "While I certainly have confidence in my skills and knowledge, they are things that can be learned by anyone who wished to take the time."

Talk to the TAs [9/23]

[sith_happened]

Who certainly have no experience with wounded pride!

Re: Talk to the TAs [9/23]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Oh, let's see, everyday reminders that most people here had wacky powers already, being outclassed a dozen different ways when it came to fighting skills, having an amazing track record of getting thrown into walls...

Why, no. Why would Kennedy know a thing about wounded pride?

She kept reaching into her pocket for her phone to cover that up-- she wasn't about to piss off Professor Skywalker by checking her email in class, but she had something from her Watcher that she really wanted to see. The upshot was that it made her look kind of twitchy, which was... not so flattering, but maybe vaguely better than the alternative? Maybe?

Talk to Anakin [9/23]

[sith_happened]

Who hasn't put this lecture topic together with his need to beat his son in a lightsaber duel, no.

Re: Talk to Anakin [9/23]

[nohaircutsplz]

"Professor," Medusalith said, the title still strange and alien in her mouth, "I would like to ask you a question, if it's not too forward."

OOC

[sith_happened]

I'm running to take the small one to swim class but will be back in a few hours to pick up pings!