032. [Text]

[explosivecombat]

[...and it seems it's time for another round of Horribly Inappropriate Questions, with your host: This Asshole.]

You know, a while ago I posited to the network that this world is based around battle culture – admittedly a softer, watered-down version of it, but battle culture nonetheless. One's power is assumed based on the strength of their personal army; one's social status is determined by how many gym leaders they've managed to defeat, or how easily they can crush those who stand in the way of what they want. It's interesting to me that such a society should likewise be based around a message of love, peace and tolerance; one would think that for the sheer amount of destruction that everyone's carrying around within arm's distance, this place would have dissolved into anarchy long ago.

Equally interesting is the stance on war that most seem to have taken here; even the locals seem opposed to it, overall. I have to wonder why – what it is about this place in particular that makes the idea of war and conflict so abhorrent to all within it.

Ah, but it's entirely likely that it's a matter of points of view, isn't it? I'm from a militaristic society, personally, so war and conflict seem to be the natural state of things – are most nations generally pacifistic like this? Or is this abnormal even by your standards as one of the..."foreigners", I believe they like to call us?

I'm interested in answers, though I can take or leave identities; answer anonymously if you wish, but even if you don't, you know what they say about glass houses.

[...You know, there are some things that never change. Yes, Kimblee, everyone here probably does get mad about genocide; either way, happy birthday, you crazy son of a bitch. If this is how you're going to spend this evening, you are more than welcome to do so.]

Comments

[beholdmydemons]

Of course they weren't. But to the strongest go the spoils, right?

[explosivecombat]

Exactly. At the same time, people can't be expected to not attempt to reclaim what they've lost, because that would be entirely too rational - if we could defeat them without having full claim to those resources, what makes them think we would fall with them?

[beholdmydemons]

But I can understand why. It's like my desire to keep fighting. The purpose is in the struggle itself. Where I'm from nothing ever changed and people's lives never amounted to anything but fodder for those born luckier and it drove those people to madness. If you can't fight for what you desire then there's not much worth living for.

[explosivecombat]

That's one way to look at it, yes, and it's one that I admit I find admirable; it's those that become complacent with their lot or simply stop trying to better themselves that deserve contempt.

At the same time, there's a lack of complacency and then there's irrational idiocy.

[beholdmydemons]

I can't muster contempt as much as pity. For all my life I never knew there could be anything different, and I was miserable, but I know it's the same way for many where I'm from. There's all kinds of lies we're told about what's right and wrong and how we should live our lives and what we're worth and living like that isn't really living. Next to that there's nothing that's completely foolish, if only just to be free of it for a while.

[explosivecombat]

What sort of lies are you talking about with regards to right and wrong, if I might ask?

[beholdmydemons]

I can't remember if I've asked you this. What do you know about God?

[explosivecombat]

I believe we've talked about it in the past; my world has proven the existence of a Supreme Being, but our God and the one that most seem to know of in their worlds are entirely different - their concept of God seems to be of some sort of divine creator that watches over humanity for varying reasons, whereas ours doesn't particularly care about humanity and its well-being as long as we aren't violating the basic laws of reality.

[beholdmydemons]

I don't know all the stories the way some others do, but the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado is ruled by God's laws. Or at least that's what the Luxurors would claim. That everyone was born to their proper station in life and to attempt anything else was against nature and God's will. Everything that was right was right because God said so, and the same went for wrong, and it all worked out so that the Luxurors held the power without doing anything to deserve it.

Later the Luxurors were all but ousted but it only became worse. God's messengers came and took control of the country and had everyone who could read or who knew of other ways of thinking put to death.

[explosivecombat]

Let's say, then, that I can't blame you for dying for your cause. Given that you've shown yourself to have such strong feelings about the matter, I'd almost be disappointed if you'd done otherwise.