maskormenace | 2nd Oration / Voice

[Dooku's voice on the Network is difficult to miss: deep, resonant, rich, and inexplicably British despite him being from space.]

Good evening, my friends. As his probation officer, I feel it is my duty to inform you that Death the Kid has departed from this universe.

[Pause]

A pity, really. He only had a few days remaining on his sentence. I was looking forward to recommending his freedom from government supervision.

Now then, there is another matter I wish to discuss. I have been considering the role of emotion in the matters of power. ImPort abilities often seem tied to how we feel. Passions such as anger and fear can threaten our control, yet they can also spur our powers to greater heights in times of need.

In my Galaxy, there are two philosophies which have debated these issues for many thousands of years. One believes in the denial of passion. They insist upon tranquility and harmony. It is their belief that only a calm heart, without attachments, can attain true wisdom in serving others. They do not even allow themselves to fall in love...

[The Count's voice drops slightly, becoming a touch darker.]

The other perspective calls this a lie. It accepts passion as the truth of all living things, and draws power from it. It teaches that even the strongest of emotions can be embraced, and disciplined, and used to great effect.

I would be interested to know what my fellow imPorts think on this matter. Are our feelings to be repressed, or embraced? Which path do you believe will lead to greater fulfillment?

[Talk to the Sith Lord about feelings, Network. Also, if you're tagging him for the first time it's a good idea to check out his permissions post!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You can control how you display your emotions, but that does not mean they ever go away, to say it does means to lie to yourself.

And to give into your own passions all the time would mean no one ever works together.

Those are perfectly sensible objections, but they are not new ones. Despite what you say, followers of both philosophies have been interacting with many people across the Galaxy for a very long time.

Those of the first path fancy themselves bringers of truth, not lies. They claim to find peace in meditation. And those of the second would likely tell you there is a difference between giving in to your passions... and using them to accomplish things.

I've never seen 'finding peace' and 'repressing emotion' to be at all the same.

And which do you subscribe to? And is there a third option?

I have walked both paths during my time. But most recently, I have leaned toward the second path.

There is a third option... a Grey path, walked by those who claim to have forged a balance. There are few who subscribe to it, however. Most are eventually drawn to one side or another, whether by circumstances or their own choices.

Is this a religious thing, then?

It could be described as such. There are some who attribute consciousness to their chosen system, and claim they are influenced by some higher will or a mystical destiny. But neither philosophy involves what you would consider gods.

[VERY dryly]

Oh, I see.

[That seems like a Very Bad system, but she will keep her thoughts on that to herself.
Insulting other people's religion is bad manners]

[It's not a great system... actually it's probably the main reason Dooku's canon isn't called Star Peace. Anyway, Dooku senses this is a good time to change the subject:]

Do you have any similar philosophies in your world, m'lady? Or perhaps religions?

It is considered rude among the Yamani to show outward displays of emotion, but no. None that I can think of.

And generally gods tend to choose more concrete things than emotions to patron.

How intriguing. What do they patron, then? Different cities, maybe, or aspects of nature?

All those, and others. Law, justice, childbirth, and the various vocations.

A God for each profession... That would mean hundreds of deities, if not thousands. Your world must feature a great many temples, then.

[It sounds intolerably messy to the Count's mind.]

Oh they have many duties each, perhaps only a few hundred in all the known countries. And some go under other names depending on the place.

[Hey, there's always SOMEone to pray to]

I understand. And is there conflict between these deities and their different followers? Surely they cannot always agree on the same beliefs.

[Dooku is not the most optimistic person when it comes to diversity.]

[The idea seems to startle her]

Well... Some gods are more favored in some parts of the world over others of course.... But mortals are fairly good at thinking up their own conflicts without bothering over who you pray to.

[Sexism and classism, sure, but religious persecution? Nah]

Indeed they are. The war we are now caught within, for instance, has little to do with religion that I can tell. Only politics and fear.

And pride, you forgot pride.

Ah, yes, how could I forget? Pride suffuses both sides, and clouds their judgement. The Americans believe they are the greatest nation on this planet. The Soviets believe their system embodies some historical destiny.

I fear they may both destroy the planet between them before they realize their folly. To say nothing of we imPorts.

2nd Oration / Voice

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