endsthegame: (Default)
endsthegame ([personal profile] endsthegame) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2014-05-19 01:46 pm

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?"

Re: Talk.

[identity profile] fly-so-serious.livejournal.com 2014-05-20 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
"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?"

Re: Talk.

[identity profile] nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com 2014-05-20 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't know," Eleanor said. "Sometimes it's hard enough just to save the ones you care about."

Re: Talk.

[identity profile] fly-so-serious.livejournal.com 2014-05-20 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
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."

Re: Talk.

[identity profile] nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com 2014-05-20 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
"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."

Re: Talk.

[identity profile] fly-so-serious.livejournal.com 2014-05-20 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
"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."