Ethics [Thursday, April 25, 2013, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

"Welcome to our final class together," Anakin said as he passed out the exams. "I hope you've learned something about yourselves in our time together so that when you're faced with a tough situation, you can make a choice you can live with."

That's what passed for as touchy-feely from Anakin, folks. Sorry. "There are no right and wrong answers on this exam, but I do want you to explain your answer. Don't answer what you think I want to hear--answer how you'd honestly react."

Comments

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin half-smiled, just for a moment. "I think I know the feeling."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

"Of trying to stop a Star Destroyer or not being a good teacher?" Anakin asked.

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Maybe both," Anakin admitted. "Even if I wasn't technically teaching Sannah and Valin, I shouldn't have let them think, even for a little while, that the mess we were in was all their fault just because they did what they thought I would do."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Anakin's lips quirked up wryly. "Been there. Or when you yell at people for doing what you would, but not being as good at it as you are."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Or that," Anakin agreed, smiling faintly in response before that expression faded into guilt. "It's too easy to do that when I'm beating myself up for my mistakes getting others killed."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I did that for every single clone I lost during the war," he said softly. "It's what makes you better at a really awful job."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I didn't ask for this," Anakin said with quiet frustration, though part of that was because he knew perfectly well that he loved playing the hero, and therefore he'd set himself up for it. "I never set out to be some shining symbol of -- of everything."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

"I know," Anakin said. "Even when you want some of it, the hero-worship can be a bit much."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin just looked at him for several seconds, silently, and finally gave a hesitant smile. "You get it. I'm . . . really glad."

It seemed like a little thing, but it made a surprisingly big difference.

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled back. "I'm glad you're all right with having anything in common with me at all."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I've been warned all my life about turning out too much like you," Anakin replied. "And I've been warned about my anger more times than I can count. And it wasn't until after I got here that I understood this, but . . . it's either accept what we have in common or resent the comparisons for the rest of my life."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "That's more wisdom than I demonstrated in forty years," he admitted. "I focused on resentment."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I might have," admitted Anakin. "It's tempting. Really tempting, most of the time. But it's a comparison that no one will ever, ever let me forget and to be honest I don't have the time to spare for resentment."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

"You are your own person," Anakin said. "A name doesn't magically imbue you with my terrible decision making powers."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I know," Anakin said very seriously, though to be fair he made a lot of his own rather terrible decisions. "It took me a while, but I think I've figured that out."

Would it stop him from possibly trying too hard to prove it to others, though? Probably not.

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Well, some of...both of those...was probably genetic.

"And as long as you know, you can try to shunt aside the well-meaning but stupid comments from others who haven't figured that out."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I wish," Anakin said after a moment, "I'd had a chance to actually know you -- you, not him -- earlier."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Genuine regret flickered across Anakin's face. "Me too."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin caught that look, and adopted a mock-stern expression. "Don't you start on that now, too. We can't both do that at once."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

Anakin's lips quirked up. "I'm sorry my legacy is such a heavy one."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"That's not your fault," Anakin reassured him. "I understand that now."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

"My choices were entirely my fault," Anakin said, "but I was certainly never expecting them to passed down to multiple generations."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin laughed ruefully. "I don't even do very well at anticipating the ramifications of my choices the next day."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[sith_happened]

"The Force knows I was tired of hearing this, but that sort of thing comes with age and practice," Anakin replied. "When you start leading groups of people, you have to start thinking bigger than you, or else you get the crushing guilt of screwing up their lives as well as yours."

Re: Talk to Anakin [4/25]

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

He was going to remember this soon, wasn't he?

"When you put it that way, it's better than 'when you're older you'll understand,'" Anakin remarked -- lightly, but that mood faltered. "Enough beings have died because of me already."