fandomhigh | Practical Philosophy, Monday

"There are those of us who come here believing very strongly in duty," Ender said. "Others who come here to escape it - and some to who it's absolutely not a part of their lives."

He smiled a little.

"I had a mentor, once," he said. "I was told that people were free, unless humanity needed them, and that humanity never asked us to be happy, merely to act on its behalf - for its survival. Happiness, he felt, was a luxury that at times we could scarcely afford. To opt out of doing our duty at such a time was the worst crime imaginable: a crime of stupidity."

He took a sip of water. "I've met people who disagreed, since," he said. "I've also met people whose lives were so intricately bound to these rules they didn't even know where they stopped and the rules began. Some of you have already made your views fairly clear already, but I'm curious as to everyone else's input, too.

"How important is duty? Do we people all carry some grand responsibility to our species, or should we exist only for ourselves and the development of our self? And if we live for duty, then when does that end? Is there some point where all of us may be afforded personal freedom, or are we perpetually tied to our responsibilities, whether we flee from them or not?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I kinda hafta agree with Tall, Dark, and Grumpy over here," Joker chipped in. "'Look out for your own' sounds like a good excuse to sit by and do nothing while someone gets hurt."

"Everyone has limits," Barry replied with an eyeroll. "I can't fucking do everything or everyone. Or do you have a secret method that I haven't heard of before?"

"I'm not talking about doing everything," Joker sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just, you know, don't 'protect your own' at the expense of everyone else."

"Okay, Jiminy... If you're being my conscience where do I draw the line?"

"I don't know," Joker answered. "Is 'don't be a dick' really that hard?"

"I'd rather my philosophical guidelines not be dictated by a former actor on a science fiction show."

...

"Though I do like Wil Wheaton. Damn it."

"Wait... what? I wasn't referencing anybody or anything, there. I'm just sayin': Don't be a dick. I understand your confusion -- it's a simple philosophy, and probably one repeated throughout history."

"Shit. If you're from the future then gene Roddenberry has a lot to answer for in his casting decisions."

Wil Wheaton. Ancient philosopher. God damn. How awesome is that?

Joker facepalmed. "I was not referencing Galaxy Quest! How is 'don't be a dick' a Galaxy Quest reference?!"

"Why is it his job to save every person who happens to get hurt in a given day?" Eleanor asked.

"No, it's not," Joker tried to explain. "It's... It's no one's job to save everybody. It's also heartless and cruel to only save the ones you care about. And it's not really anyone's job to save anyone at all, really. There's got to be a middle ground there somewhere, though, right?"

"I don't know," Eleanor said. "Sometimes it's hard enough just to save the ones you care about."

Joker winced. "Shit, I didn't mean... Here I am talking in hypotheticals, and you've actually been through Hell. I'm not criticizing you, I promise."

"That shouldn't matter, should it?" Eleanor asked. "If you believe this strongly in something, you ought to believe it applies to the real, not just the theoretical. Maybe I haven't the same morals as you. I felt they were something of a luxury, really."

"When it comes down to survival, maybe they are just a luxury," Joker grumbled. "You didn't exactly get a chance to moralize and philosophize down there. I'm not saying I believe strongly in things, just... I dunno."

Practical Philosophy, Monday

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