Thursday, January 12, 2006
Page 10
“If you’d like to forge yourself against pain, then why don’t you roll in the sand and tear your flesh raw against it, or leave your sandals behind and walk barefoot in the sand heated all day by the lady. A wise warrior does not have to suffer pain to learn, he can look ahead and know without walking on the hot sand that his feet would be burned till he could walk no more without sandals or that were he to carry a stick then he could block blows that he could not dodge.”
The boy clenched his eyes, still holding back the tears that seemed to refuse his desire to remain hidden.
“You knew this lesson already, when we met you blocked my blow with the rocks before you, how could you not see the wisdom in carrying something constantly and being ready with it in order for just such occasions?”
Learner shrugged as the old man turned and began to walk. The boy followed, filled with conflicting emotions, some telling him there was wisdom in those words, some obstinately insisting that there was also wisdom in training without, as well as the strength in having made that decision himself.
To say that he was lucky that the man he followed did not breach the subject again was somewhat erroneous. He didn’t waste words, and he had been told once, it was then his choice to ignore the wisdom offered. Although, he was certainly free with the lessons his stick would give as they traveled.
One day, while dealing with the Kris’Talbae tribe, trading for agricultural goods to eat, and spices with which to add some small variety to the many meals of very similar foods that the pair endured on their travels as they foraged, Learner saw his first slave. It was at once both and enlightening and odd experience. As they were trading one of the warriors turned and beat the man next to him severely for failing a simple task. It was clear, though Learner had never before been so closely exposed to it, was, that the second man was not being treated like an equal. Aside from the physical scaring over where their names should have been on their backs and other places, it was the complete and utter baseness with which the man was regarded. Over the next day or so he witnessed both men and women treated like dogs, though in public the men received the worst of it Learner was old enough to know what probably happened to the women in private or during celebration.
He was wise enough to understand that some questions were best left to be asked in private after they were a ways off at the end of their stay.
“Why do they let themselves be taken as slaves? Wouldn’t they rather die than suffer so at the hands of their enemies?”
“Each person has their own wills and desires, are you so certain that you’d kill yourself were you to be forced to choose between that and the cruel hands of oppression from an enemy tribe? There are other subtleties too, though I doubt they are aware of them. We’re all slaves here. Some of us are just freer than others. “
“Huh?”
“At any time they could allow their lives to be taken from them or cast them off like undesired clothes. You or I are slaves in a way. Ponder this, the way their body would suffer, though to a greater degree, were they to cease the labors that are required of them, wouldn’t your body suffer were you to cease feeding it, or letting it drink?”
“That’s not the same…”
“You say that without even thinking about the issue.”
“It’s a matter of honor. They let their tribe die.”
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The boy clenched his eyes, still holding back the tears that seemed to refuse his desire to remain hidden.
“You knew this lesson already, when we met you blocked my blow with the rocks before you, how could you not see the wisdom in carrying something constantly and being ready with it in order for just such occasions?”
Learner shrugged as the old man turned and began to walk. The boy followed, filled with conflicting emotions, some telling him there was wisdom in those words, some obstinately insisting that there was also wisdom in training without, as well as the strength in having made that decision himself.
To say that he was lucky that the man he followed did not breach the subject again was somewhat erroneous. He didn’t waste words, and he had been told once, it was then his choice to ignore the wisdom offered. Although, he was certainly free with the lessons his stick would give as they traveled.
* * *
One day, while dealing with the Kris’Talbae tribe, trading for agricultural goods to eat, and spices with which to add some small variety to the many meals of very similar foods that the pair endured on their travels as they foraged, Learner saw his first slave. It was at once both and enlightening and odd experience. As they were trading one of the warriors turned and beat the man next to him severely for failing a simple task. It was clear, though Learner had never before been so closely exposed to it, was, that the second man was not being treated like an equal. Aside from the physical scaring over where their names should have been on their backs and other places, it was the complete and utter baseness with which the man was regarded. Over the next day or so he witnessed both men and women treated like dogs, though in public the men received the worst of it Learner was old enough to know what probably happened to the women in private or during celebration.
He was wise enough to understand that some questions were best left to be asked in private after they were a ways off at the end of their stay.
“Why do they let themselves be taken as slaves? Wouldn’t they rather die than suffer so at the hands of their enemies?”
“Each person has their own wills and desires, are you so certain that you’d kill yourself were you to be forced to choose between that and the cruel hands of oppression from an enemy tribe? There are other subtleties too, though I doubt they are aware of them. We’re all slaves here. Some of us are just freer than others. “
“Huh?”
“At any time they could allow their lives to be taken from them or cast them off like undesired clothes. You or I are slaves in a way. Ponder this, the way their body would suffer, though to a greater degree, were they to cease the labors that are required of them, wouldn’t your body suffer were you to cease feeding it, or letting it drink?”
“That’s not the same…”
“You say that without even thinking about the issue.”
“It’s a matter of honor. They let their tribe die.”
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# posted by BentSea @ 12:43 PM 
