Re: Re: Omni or Clans The Great Debate
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Originally posted by Soyuz
This is just one reason why I remain neutral. Quite apart from the philosohical and moral problems I have with both sides' standard dogma, all too many members of both factions seem... rootless. They don't know who they are or why they're fighting, yet they continue to fight.
Is it possible that they fight out of a sense for duty ? When our sons and daughters pick up arms, they do so because the cause is just. It's their heart that drives their honorable actions. The strive for freedom is not something that needs to be taught, it is in our very nature. Evidenced by our desire to leave the confines of our very own backyard from the moment we enter existence.
While I don't agree with Omni, I can't deny them their beliefs. That is freedom.
Do we hate one another, Omni and Clan ? Quite possibly. But I prefer that over indifference. Belief in ANYTHING is better than the belief in nothing.
Make no mistake. I forgive Omni for nothing. By their very nature seeking favor with the unredeemed (adj: in danger of the eternal punishment of hell; "poor damned souls").
Re: Re: Re: Omni or Clans The Great Debate
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Originally posted by Fairyn
Is it possible that they fight out of a sense for duty ? When our sons and daughters pick up arms, they do so because the cause is just. It's their heart that drives their honorable actions...
While I don't agree with Omni, I can't deny them their beliefs. That is freedom.
You're missing my original point. A sense of duty towards something is a reason to fight for it. However, in order to do that you have to have a strong sense of self, rooted in the community that you're fighting for. I run into so many faction personel every day who seem to lack that identity. Ask them why they're fighting and they'll respond with the standardized dogma ("For freedom!" or "For order!") but it rings hollow.
I'm not denying that there are faction personel who know exactly what they're fighting for. Somtimes it's for their community or a sense of cultural identity, sometimes it's for an abstract idea.
Sometimes despite all the expressed platitudes, it's for the notum and for personal profit. These people aren't working for their company or their community, they're out for themselves and using their faction as cover.
For all too many though, they fight because that's the way it's always been and they can't see any other future. That's not a good reason, in my opinion.
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But I prefer that over indifference. Belief in ANYTHING is better than the belief in nothing.
Fashionable nonsense. Personal belief, however strongly or sincerely held, has NO merit whatsoever unless the idea behind that belief has value of its own. What if someone held the belief that Atroxes were subhuman and fit only for use as beasts of burden, to be exterminated when their usefulness was at an end? Would that make them better than someone who has no strong views one way or the other? I know that the notion sounds ridiculous, but in the past people have held beliefs stranger than that and just as damaging, and held them very sincerely indeed.
If someone says to me "I fight for the clans because I believe Omni Tek is evil and oppresses us all", they'd better be prepared to tell me what makes OT so evil and what makes the clans any better. They'd also better make sense and be prepared to debate the matter in a logical fashion. Just believing in something doesn't make it so, and misguided belief is more dangerous than any amount of indifference or scepticism. If you want to bring me round to your point of view, frame a logical argument and convince me.
However, I do take offense at the idea that neutrality means a lack of belief. Read my original post again and you'll find that I remain neutral because I believe, very strongly, that if either belligerent wins this war, the whole of Rubi-Ka, its people, its society, its economy and its future, will be flushed down the toilet. Is that what you want for your descendants?
If you feel differently, if you believe that a win for your side is the best possible outcome, well...
...convince me.
Cheers,
~R~