022. [Text]

[explosivecombat]

With matters of one's heart and soul so close in mind, due to the recent holiday and all the romantic connotations therein, I ask that you forgive the possibly morbid nature of the question I have for you tonight:

The state or condition of one's soul is often brought into question when their deeds are brought to light or held up for scrutiny; the concept of the damned and those destined for salvation aren't new concepts by far. However, I have to ask what that means for all of you - do you accept your soul as existing only as a metaphysical concept, a matter of faith, something unproven and intangible? Or is it something undeniable where you come from, not a matter of faith but rather proven to exist? Does it fail to exist for you at all?

Or, perhaps, is it something else entirely - something that was rendered from one of the above options into another?

I suppose I should apologize for such heavy subject matter; I imagine some will find it rude to attempt to quantify such a thing. However, it's been something I've had reason to consider lately, so no apology is forthcoming.

Comments

[papshooshing]

IT DOESN'T WORK IN ALL ASPECTS THOUGH, DOES IT?
LIKE, IT'S ONLY FOR ALCHEMY.

[explosivecombat]

I find it preferable to live my life according to that principle, personally; the concepts of "survival of the fittest" and "to the victors go the spoils" make sense to me, on a general scale, and they can also be traced back to Equivalent Exchange, in a way. All receive exactly what they deserve; one's reward is the result of one's work.

However, I'm saying this as an alchemist, and many things in Amestris are centered around alchemy and those who can perform it. Life is easier for us than it may be for others, for various reasons - we're in a very privileged position, in comparison to those who aren't capable of practicing it at all. Life often does adhere to Equivalent Exchange for us, but I've been told by someone from Amestris that isn't an alchemist that things often don't really work that way for most people. Apparently the fact that we can hold that worldview is due to us being spoiled by our own society.

I admit that I hadn't thought of it that way before getting to know him. However, I can see his point, though I haven't looked into it enough to know if I agree or not. So I suppose the only way I can answer that is to say that it works for me in all aspects, but it might not for others. I can't say for sure.

[usedshooshpap]

THAT'S BECAUSE REALLY?
THINGS *DON'T* WORK LIKE THAT, NOT FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON
AND CERTAINLY NOT IN MY WORLD.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK OR WHAT YOU STRIVE TO ACHIEVE.
SHIT WILL HIT THE WHIRLING DEVICE EVEN IF YOU PLAYED ALL YOUR CARDS RIGHT.

[explosivecombat]

I'm not going to argue that, simply because I'm not a naive idiot; to assume that this proverbial fan-hitting will never happen is to remove opposing elements entirely. Adhering to Equivalent Exchange doesn't mean that everything will go well for you, nor does it mean that life will always be fair - I can acknowledge that as hard as I work for things, to try to ensure that I get what I deserve, there are always others who are doing the exact same thing. A fair amount of the time, those individuals are working in opposition to me - why should any governing entity (fortune, Truth, God, the world as a whole) favor me over them?

Things change according to whom the world favors at any given time. It's not simply a matter of work, but a matter of luck and one's personal worth in the scheme of things. Sometimes it's a matter of surviving simply because there's a use for you yet.

[usedshooshpap]

WHAT IF THERE IS NO REAL USE FOR YOU?

[explosivecombat]

I don't believe that things like that happen. If the world has no further use for you, you will be removed from it, simple as.

The world's intentions aren't always clear to us; the intentions of Truth are often even less so. The effects of our actions are long-reaching, not isolated or random occurrences; where our potential to change the world ends isn't something that we can always understand. If we're alive, then our impact on our fate and perhaps the fates of others can still be felt; there is a use for all who survive, just as there was a use for all who no longer survive.

[papshooshing]

I THINK THEY JUST NEED TO PUT YOU IN A FORTUNE COOKIE.

[explosivecombat]

I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or just amused; you'll have to forgive me for taking the latter route.

[papshooshing]

IT'S A COMPLEMENT.
IT MEANS YOU HAVE VERY ENLIGHTENING WORDS.