Rinzai Did Nothing Wrong.

Dilemma is the heart of narrative, as is established by Jeff Kitchen in his interviews. Yet what appears to be dilemma, a decision in between two evils, is quite often nothing more than a scenario wherein one course of action is defensible and others cannot be, but failure is a common risk. It’s in the aftermath of such a failure that excuses come, and often such excuses harden into orthodoxies which become a moral dogma. Yet a moral dogma, though it is dogmatic, is not moral. Though it’s paradoxical to say that something we describe as “moral” is not moral, that’s because to classify a thing as “moral” means to claim that it *aspires* to be moral, yet the possibility of failure leads us to conclude that it is not what it pretends to be, and contradictions in semantics cease to bother us when we remember what the nature of a moral act is truly.   Fans of anime who vilify Light Yagami may claim that it was Light’s *decision* to employ the Death Note which leads to his downfall. ...

In common usage, “equity” is equal outcome whilst “equality” is equal opportunity, yet these were not supposed to be divorced from one another, since the latter is the end whereas the former is the means.   It’s natural to seek for equal outcome, since we wish for Others to be able to enjoy the same prosperity that we do. Yet demanding this prosperity for all, for it to come immediately, only leads to ruin, so we have to take a longer road to get to that Society which we desire.    So, although it’s natural to wish for equity, it’s logical to seek it by equality. Yet two extremes prevent us from arrival at this goal, both variations on the segregation between ends and means.   On one extreme, those who demand that we have equity, immediately, seek the ends by wrongful means, while those who settle for equality of opportunity but do not *take* this opportunity *for equity* (for that was all that “opportunity” referred to from the start) have taken proper means and tur...

We live within an age wherein the poor oppress the wealthy. How? By force of envy. Only look upon the bygone eras. Up until the 1600's, class was thought synonymous with character, except within the subtlest of dramas Shakespeare wrote. Yet character was of the utmost weight, and class was secondary, though essential to that social order which required character, and character itself required social order. In the centuries that followed, class and character became divorced from one another, and with decent reason. As the matter showed, the world was not without its share of noble-hearted peasants nor of wealthy bastards. Thus, the modern moral play was born as a response to the oppression of the noble poor by poor nobility, and audiences cheered for those whose wealth was in the spirit rather than in moneys, as the protagonists of such a quality upon the stage strove to ascend above the ruin of the slums, in opposition to the vile and perverse aristocrats who lorded over them. The ...

The holidays can be a disappointing time for many people, but my solace is in recognizing this: that we are under no real obligation to be "happy", yet, with one's commitment to a goal that's meaningful, authentic, and inspiring to others, one can find a source of sanctity in bringing joy to others, or, at least, providing them with opportunities for a more meaningful existence.   Envy is the enemy. If but one child is happy on a Christmas morning, I am happy, not because my family requires me to be so, but because I'm grateful for the joy which others feel, though I may not receive it by the avenues that they receive it by. It is in the deserving rather than receiving of a gift that one finds honour, and it is in giving rather than receiving that the joy of virtue reigns.   **[({R.G.)}]**

Consider two quotations from the wiki * Fandom *; which do you believe to be the outlook of the Villain, and which outlook is the Hero’s point of view? A. “This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it's worth it. Because the world... can't go on like this. I wonder... what if someone else had picked up this notebook? Is there anyone out there other than me who'd be willing to eliminate the vermin from the world? If I don't do it, then who will? That's just it: there's no one. But I can do it. In fact, I'm the only one who can. I'll do it. Using the Death Note, I'll change the world.” B. “It's not a sense of justice. Figuring out difficult cases is my hobby. If you measured good and evil deeds by current laws, I would be responsible for many crimes. The same way you all like to solve mysteries and riddles, or clear video games more ...