I'd have asked the same for myself as a child, were there any way for it to happen. I wouldn't now, but only because I've had the time and been given the opportunity to live for something other than the most base and bestial form of the hunt.
That child did not have that time, nor that opportunity. She was never going to. The world she lived in would have never allowed it, just as mine wouldn't have for myself. Death is often a mercy for both the dead and the living, and sometimes the only kind and loving thing to do is to end a life.
No, he was really wrong. It was simpler than that, wasn't it? You were afraid. Not of them, but of extremes. Of yourself. And you convinced everyone it was strength.
A bold strategy, one with far more benefits than can be gained with mere strength. Strength does not forge one's vulnerabilities into armour. It only allows one to pulverize those stupid enough to get too close.
Strength is for fools who lose entire kingdoms to a stray arrow. Fear, leveraged properly, is survival.
Where's that confidence that everyone loves you for?
Understanding that a situation that is less than ideal is exactly that is not a lack of confidence, nor is guilt for one's culpability in the occurrence of said situation. Confidence is something that can only be displayed through action, not through thought - one cannot falter before they have taken a step.
Then you'll die, and you'll die stupidly at that. If not fear, what would allow you to tell the difference between a beneficial course of action and a destructive course of action? Rationality, or some other idiotic invention of the "civilized" made to allow people to pretend they're not as scared of the dark as they were in the times before they were given light?
Perfect love exists only in a perfect world. One where we do not suffer the tyranny of life.
That is the world that all living things should fight for, for their own benefit, but it is not the one we live in. So until such a time comes, you would have to rely on rationality.
And what is rationality but the fear of being wrong? The fear of a world that isn't dissectable? The fear that not everything can be controlled? It is the fear that drives people to measure time and then act as if having done so gives them some power over its passage.
And there's nothing wrong with that. It's only when you try to force the world itself to believe that you're right even when you aren't that it becomes a problem.
Otherwise, it's just being scared of something that hurts you. And there's no shame in that.
As I wrote, confidence is action and not thought. If you wish to aid those around you by your bravery, becoming fearless only leads to tragedy. You must act, and you must do so without faltering, but to think nothing will go wrong, that you've planned for every eventuality, that you are right and this will work - you risk ignoring what your heart tells you is true. Of course, it does not do to be paralyzed by your fears - confidence is nothing more than accepting them and moving forward with them in mind, lest they destroy you when cast aside or mindlessly obeyed.
In short - all that can be asked of you, when you choose to take on burdens for the sake of others, is that your hands are steady even while your heart trembles.
Mm. Whether it's right or wrong, the alternative is being devoured by a beast like this one in a foolhardy attempt to destroy fear itself. It's not the best way to go.
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Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
[ they frown at the books, taking a deep breath. ]
Calm. I'll be calm. "Sam". That was the child's name, then. She really should've killed her as soon as she could have.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
She frowns. "Why do you think so?"
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
That child did not have that time, nor that opportunity. She was never going to. The world she lived in would have never allowed it, just as mine wouldn't have for myself. Death is often a mercy for both the dead and the living, and sometimes the only kind and loving thing to do is to end a life.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
"I don't like that the world is like that. That seems wrong."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Pause. "I'm glad no one killed you, though."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Thank you.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
She smiles a little bashfully. "What now, then?"
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
A bold strategy, one with far more benefits than can be gained with mere strength. Strength does not forge one's vulnerabilities into armour. It only allows one to pulverize those stupid enough to get too close.
Strength is for fools who lose entire kingdoms to a stray arrow. Fear, leveraged properly, is survival.
Where's that confidence that everyone loves you for?
Understanding that a situation that is less than ideal is exactly that is not a lack of confidence, nor is guilt for one's culpability in the occurrence of said situation. Confidence is something that can only be displayed through action, not through thought - one cannot falter before they have taken a step.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
She frowns. "I don't want to be afraid of anything."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
She looks down at her hands, a little bit embarrassed.
"But also I was thinking a little bit about rationality."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
That is the world that all living things should fight for, for their own benefit, but it is not the one we live in. So until such a time comes, you would have to rely on rationality.
And what is rationality but the fear of being wrong? The fear of a world that isn't dissectable? The fear that not everything can be controlled? It is the fear that drives people to measure time and then act as if having done so gives them some power over its passage.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
And there's nothing wrong with that. It's only when you try to force the world itself to believe that you're right even when you aren't that it becomes a problem.
Otherwise, it's just being scared of something that hurts you. And there's no shame in that.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
"...I guess that's. Pretty reasonable? Mom's scared a lot so I thought maybe someone shouldn't be, for all of us."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
In short - all that can be asked of you, when you choose to take on burdens for the sake of others, is that your hands are steady even while your heart trembles.
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
"That sounds kind of cool... that's what bravery's supposed to be. I guess—that seems right."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
[ handhold time again ]
Shall we?
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY
Handhold!!!
"Yes! Let's."
Re: PRIMARY SOURCES: EARLY 21ST CENTURY