She addressed us all. "It was further seen that if mans' home
environment was out of control, if grief, pain, deception, and greed found
their beginnings within the domestic situation, then the children of such
individuals would carry the impact of creating the society itself. O n a mass
level, such a society could not possibly hope to survive, because each
compromise resulted in an immediate catalytic action, in social terms. This
would result in one abuse after another growing under the impetus of its
own thrust, until its' proportions were so sweeping that only the
destruction of the culture and disbursement of the remaining members of it
could stem the flow. By that time, all politically motivated questions, be
they economic, imperial, or domestic, would be academic. Your current
circumstance is little different."
"Meaning it‘s the end of time?" Josh said.
"Not of time, but the end of recycling lessons you have repeatedly
placed in your path and failed to heed," Saa-ra replied. "As a result of
these observations," she scanned the room again, "the masters developed
disciplines centred on personal dignity, empathy for the conditions of the
less fortunate, and a cooperative effort to hold their shared culture in
reverence." Looking my way out of sequence, she said, "These lessons
were extremely hard to teach."
She moved on.
"It took continuity and a psychological process which required,
without compromise, that the child live up to his or her share of
responsibility, not down to it. Likewise, he or she learned how to discern
which responsibility belonged to them, and which rested upon the
shoulders of another." She paused at Georgio, before addressing us
randomly.
"Relieving anyone of their responsibility for their own acts was
considered to be Lessons in Debilitation, yet in the spirit of love and co-
operation, those in need found help and care. Those who were capable did
all they could do, even to personal sacrifice, but for the right reasons.
Guilt, as a weapon to facilitate one's own desires, was deeply frowned
upon. Any attempts at emotional blackmail were immediately dealt with
by that which was called Miserable Lessons, wherein one's responsibilities
were only compounded." Her gaze slowed as it passed me.
"It was in this way that they realized there was something to be
learned from each member of the society; every individual was a window
to the world, with a slightly different perspective than the next. With the
acceptance of this truth, the Lessons of Scope were added to the
disciplines, as each member became both student and teacher."
