004. [ANON TEXT]

[nullorvoid]

So once in a while we get this flashmob of people that show up and post all sorts of anonymous ethics stuff to the network and then they just kind of run off and then a couple months later it happens again, and I don't know if this place just has a revolving door of really inquisitive people or if it's the same people being really inquisitive on a schedule or what, so I'll just throw this out there to answer some of the questions you guys tend to throw out there if you really want to know.

1. Morality exists. "Good" and "evil" do not. I can try to explain this to you if you don't get it but people can't be truly good or evil, it's not something that happens. If you're wondering whether you're either, you're not.

2. People can't be broken either. I don't care what people say, on a fundamental level people can't be broken and you probably aren't either and if you're saying you are it's probably an excuse for not doing what you know you should be doing.

3. Everyone gets held responsible for their crap in the end. All of it, whether you meant to do it or not. Stuff you did that was bad, stuff that you did that you don't think was bad but hurt someone anyway, and all the good stuff too – you're going to get all that held up against you someday, either while you're alive or afterwards. So stop being a jackass and go make amends, you'll thank me later.

4. No one can judge the living. While you're still alive, you can change almost anything about your fate, so stop being stupid and go change stuff if you're not happy with the idea of dying tomorrow. Always make sure you'd be okay if you died tomorrow, just as a basic rule.

You can say whatever you want to any of that, I guess you can ask questions if you've got any, just know that I've got all of this stuff on good authority if you're bothered by any of this stuff or the answers you get. It weirds me out how many people don't know this sort of thing but it's something everyone kind of already knows back where I came from so I guess that's what's going on there. Do whatever you guys want with it or ignore it and go play with your fuzzy animals for a while, I don't really care.

[...Well, okay then.

Look, he's not used to actually talking to living people about this sort of thing. It's a little obvious, but there was an...attempt or something.]

Comments

[text]

[stonebones]

[Whether you meant to do it or not, huh... He already carried all that guilt with him, but now he feels his chest tighten. Not even death could fix that?]

I don't know what I can do to make amends.

[anon text forever]

[nullorvoid]

Sometimes you can't.

I'll say though that the desire to do it matters too, even if you don't know how or if you can. I'm not going to be cute about it and say that it's just the thought that counts, but at the same time if you're the sort of person that would want to make it up to people that says something about you too.

[stonebones]

That isn't fair at all, is it? I can't really fix any of the bad things I've done, but it's fine because I want to? All those people... What about them? It doesn't do them or their loved ones any good.

That I benefit from just wanting to help... That might even make it worse, for them.

[nullorvoid]

I didn't say it was fine, I said that it mattered. There's a difference there.

There is no magical absolution button. Once you've killed people you're always going to be someone that killed people and there are going to be consequences for it. There's a difference between what you do and what you are though.

[stonebones]

Someone who's killed vs a killer you mean?

[That made sense... Didn't make him feel at ease, but... Better.]

How come you know this stuff? You said it's something everyone knows back where you're from?

text;

[in_praetego]

I guess it can't be helped. Sometimes, people just tend to overthink things.

When you have a large enough audience to get an opinion from, some people just seize the opportunity. Everyone's pretty helpful to say the least.

[anon text forever]

[nullorvoid]

That's what I've noticed when people do it sometimes. Sometimes it's just venting, which I've never seen the point of doing in front of a bunch of people.

I guess it's just one of those differences between worlds or something that you've got to get used to.

text;

[in_praetego]

Some can be more vocal than others, maybe.
And if there are people willing to help, then it doesn't hurt to ask.

I'm sure you have your reasons for posting this up too, right?

[nullorvoid]

Everyone's got reasons for the things they do. I'm not much of an exception.

text

[a_sin_for_him]

Some people simply enjoy the debating and discussion of the philosophy of such subjects.

Such as 'good' and 'evil'. Is it fair to say they don't exist at all? They're predominantly human concepts, given human meaning, and voiced in the context of human life. They are what mankind decides they are. Perhaps there's no natural good and evil, or universal understanding of what each contains, but human good and evil arguably exist. Separate from human morality.

[anon text]

[nullorvoid]

And this would be why humans do nothing but get themselves into trouble, they think they can define that sort of crap because they decide that the way they personally see things is law.

Natural order isn't something that humans get to decide any more than anything else. If you have to specify human anything - good and evil, morality, whatever - then I can guarantee the universe really doesn't care because that's arrogance. And hell knows I'm arrogant too but I'm not trying to justify what I do by saying my species as a whole gets a pass because we tried really hard.

[anon text]

[a_sin_for_him]

Not law, language.

Besides, what does the majority of humanity know or care about the universe beyond their existence? Even those that think about it and wonder never do any more than that. As you said: humans are an arrogant breed.

The point I'm arguing is only that human concepts, created by humans, apply only to humans. The idea of an ultimate good or evil, of course that's ludicrous. Of course it doesn't exist, how could it beyond the parameters of humanity? But humans have decided what good and evil is within the context of their species, and in that respect, the two very much exist.

It's semantics I'm arguing, not the idea itself. I enjoy a lively debate.

[nullorvoid]

Then I'm going to posit for you that good and evil don't exist even within the context of the human species.

Murdering people is bad, most humans agree on that. It's an evil act if you ask almost anybody. Yet you get a bunch of villagers paranoid enough and they start burning teenage girls at the stake because they're supposedly witches and I can guarantee they won't consider that act evil - it makes them big damn heroes as far as they're concerned.

People who look down on that sort of stuff? They're no more good or evil than the people torching the teenagers. They just don't believe in witches.

anonymous text;

[aufsassig]

I wanna hear the thing about how good and evil don't exist. That sounds like an interesting seminar to sit in on.

[anon text forever]

[nullorvoid]

I don't know if it's that great of a seminar because it's just kind of the way things are. Citing good and evil as fundamental truths is stupid and arrogant and most of the time falling back on that sort of thing is an excuse to be lazy in passing judgement.

You can't say that anything that subjective is a fundamental truth. People can't even agree on what good and evil are, where the standards fall, so if it does exist it's a matter of opinion at best. Which is something I would assume everyone knows but damn if it isn't something that people like to get high and mighty about.

[aufsassig]

Because it's all about the context, right? Mitigating circumstances, justifications, whoever's got the best excuse.

Morality exists because it's what you use to interpret the context. Good and evil don't because everybody's playbook is different.

Have I pretty much got it so far?

[nullorvoid]

See, there you go. It's not like it's a hard concept once you actually look at it.

[TEXT]

[adai]

[Well, this is certainly unexpected, but it's very interesting and after awhile Rossiu responds. There are plenty of things he wants to ask about here, but...]

I have a question relating to your third point. What are your thoughts on forgiveness? If someone has wronged you in the past, are you expected to forgive them? Is it okay if you don't think you can?

[anon text forever]

[nullorvoid]

I'm not going to tell you what to do one way or another because that always ends up being personal and messy and if someone's not being forgiven for something there's usually a reason for it. It's probably more about what you're getting out of not forgiving them, there's a difference between holding petty things over somebody's head like the Sword of goddamn Damocles because it makes you feel all powerful or something and not wanting to forgive someone because they lied to you and tried to murder you as soon as you weren't convenient for them anymore or something.

Depends, in other words.

[adai]

I think it's closer to the last one. I was never in any danger, but I don't feel like I'm wrong for hating him. The reasons he had for doing what he did were valid, but it's difficult to see that when he lied to us repeatedly.

My apologies, I know this isn't something anyone else can answer. It's been bothering me lately though. I guess there really isn't any one way to handle something like that, though it would certainly be easier if there was.

If I can ask, what is the world you're from like? A lot of these points you've brought up are very difficult concepts for people. You've presented these as fact though. How can you be so certain?

[nullorvoid]

My part of the world is completely different than this but I've seen places sort of like this before even if it was just indirectly. Cities and people and stuff but none of the weird sentient animals.

I'm not a human though, never have been before this place. I just work with them a lot, because I'm one of the people who decides what happens to them after they die. So like I said, I've got it all on pretty good authority.

text

[fairy_tale_trainer]

That is really insightful, Mister. I agree especially with the fourth statement. I read Tarot, and I am always reminding my clients that their fate is in their hands, I can only show some paths, or remind you of the past or inform of the present. Many people do not want to admit that they are not in control of what happens.

Sincerely,
Mary Weather Hargreaves

[anon text forever]

[nullorvoid]

You get accurate readings off those cards of yours?

[anon text forever]

[fairy_tale_trainer]

Yes. They have not let anyone down before, though there are times where the message can be cryptic, but it always makes sense when the time is right.

[nullorvoid]

I've never really believed in occult stuff like that, but I know a bunch of people do.