? ...Has to start somewhere, doesn't it? Something has to tilt a person over their individual edge?
Sure. It can start in the Pit. That is insanity. All the rest is madness.
I have seen one character do this
Methinks I've misplaced a part of that... it's not so much the ability to do it as looking at the world as though you *always* have the ability to do it. Which conveniently cancels out a large chunk of Fear, though perhaps not Dread.
I mean, as a scientist, I tend to look at the world as a place where the Known can change into the Unknown and vice versa. In other words, it's not necessarily a label that sticks, because knowledge is always changing and evolving, as is the world, as are the various balances of power. So to me it's a process that kind of cancels out helplessness. Also you may not be able to do much, but knowing something's Name is still a kind of power. One never ever runs out of wiggle-room when it comes to free will. They may, however, run out of life to live, or run out of luck. Everything else is how one looks at the situation.
That's part of why we bottom out certain aggressive bishounen? We want them to experience a kind of helplessness, because that kind of worldview -- that shifts all the time, that never denies one's own free will -- is essentially selfish. Power runs both ways. If you know something's Name, you are in a small way responsible for it. To be helpless is to be responsible for nothing, because the universe has thrown you out. That's why some people seek to be victimized. S'why it's interesting to rip the rug from boys who are too shiny, because then you get to see them emotionally and spiritually naked, at least till they pick their handcuffs.
He is That Bastard and Must Die.
Well, yeah. There are plenty of people like that. But the thing is... I still see it. The real choice for me as a person and as a writer is: do I do anything about it? Am I like Athrun who needs to stop whenever the rigid rules iceberg-crash into real life? Or am I like Jesus Kira who sees all sides, hurts and rages for all sides, but still does what needs to be done without hesitation?
To speak religiously for a bit, Jesus (and a lot of certain kinds of prophets) introduced the radical concept of forgiving your enemy. I mean, our most sacred prayer includes praying for those who have wronged us. Well to me there's a huge corollary that it's also our job to understand our enemy. That tends to eliminate sides -- eliminate Others, eliminate enemies. Then what you're left with is the Issue at Hand. Not an easy thing to do! Certain zealots tend to skip to the Saving part without doing the Understanding part. Because that takes real Courage, I don't care what sort of bravura-fey JKR stylizes Gryffindor into.
depend on how they reacted to things, and what they're willing and capable of doing, after the flood of adventure washes away and leaves on terra firma again.
Read to the current end of the Vorkosigan series and you just might.
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Date: 2005-02-12 06:10 pm (UTC)Sure. It can start in the Pit.
That is insanity. All the rest is madness.
Methinks I've misplaced a part of that... it's not so much the ability to do it as looking at the world as though you *always* have the ability to do it. Which conveniently cancels out a large chunk of Fear, though perhaps not Dread.
I mean, as a scientist, I tend to look at the world as a place where the Known can change into the Unknown and vice versa. In other words, it's not necessarily a label that sticks, because knowledge is always changing and evolving, as is the world, as are the various balances of power. So to me it's a process that kind of cancels out helplessness. Also you may not be able to do much, but knowing something's Name is still a kind of power. One never ever runs out of wiggle-room when it comes to free will. They may, however, run out of life to live, or run out of luck. Everything else is how one looks at the situation.
That's part of why we bottom out certain aggressive bishounen? We want them to experience a kind of helplessness, because that kind of worldview -- that shifts all the time, that never denies one's own free will -- is essentially selfish. Power runs both ways. If you know something's Name, you are in a small way responsible for it. To be helpless is to be responsible for nothing, because the universe has thrown you out. That's why some people seek to be victimized. S'why it's interesting to rip the rug from boys who are too shiny, because then you get to see them emotionally and spiritually naked, at least till they pick their handcuffs.
Well, yeah. There are plenty of people like that. But the thing is... I still see it. The real choice for me as a person and as a writer is: do I do anything about it? Am I like Athrun who needs to stop whenever the rigid rules iceberg-crash into real life? Or am I like
JesusKira who sees all sides, hurts and rages for all sides, but still does what needs to be done without hesitation?To speak religiously for a bit, Jesus (and a lot of certain kinds of prophets) introduced the radical concept of forgiving your enemy. I mean, our most sacred prayer includes praying for those who have wronged us. Well to me there's a huge corollary that it's also our job to understand our enemy. That tends to eliminate sides -- eliminate Others, eliminate enemies. Then what you're left with is the Issue at Hand. Not an easy thing to do! Certain zealots tend to skip to the Saving part without doing the Understanding part. Because that takes real Courage, I don't care what sort of bravura-fey JKR stylizes Gryffindor into.
Read to the current end of the Vorkosigan series and you just might.