#the philosophy of krakonos

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

How does he handle all that nature? All the bugs and the dying plants and animal feces an-

"...I am one with Nature, that does not mean I do not understand the concept of personal hygiene, if that is what you meant."

"...but to better clarify, to be one with Nature means to accept it all for what it is - neither denying the darker or uglier aspects of life, nor disproportionately obsessing over them in one form or another. Nature is Red in Tooth and Claw - Life is a struggle as much as it is an experience, and all things compete and adapt to survive and thrive against each other... without Decay, without Waste, without 'creepy crawlies' no matter what type or niche they fill, the world would be a far more empty, far less vibrant place."

"Trying to see nature as only trees and sun and mountains, as only cute fluffy animals and birds and bushes full of berries, is quaint - but ultimately folly. Wisdom is knowing how to accept things as they are, Nature or otherwise, without falsehoods... be it to others, or to one's self."

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

"...You know, I often debate whether I Identify more as 'Fae' or as 'Human', that much I will admit to - though these days, given the whole 'Court' deal, it seems more Fae than Human half of the time..."

"...But if there is one thing I will not accept, it is being called a 'Hero'. I may do 'heroic' things from time to time, and perhaps I even aspire to inspire others to do better in similar ways... but I am no 'Hero' - I refuse to fall into that trap that so many others have... every action I take I weigh dearly, heavily, skeptically, and self-critically, for I know the day I take my own judgements as truth without any doubt is the day I have failed to learn from my predecessors."

"Neither will I accept being 'Royalty' any more than I have to... I only accept the trappings of my heritage and lineage as far as I can use them to further my goals - I would rather prefer meritocracy over the idle laurel-resting of so many so-called Royals and Nobles. Power earned is always superior to power given; why should I try to set myself apart or above anyone else I value when I have always preferred the company of equals above all else?"

"...I am many things, as I was made to be, as I have sought to be... but perhaps I already am too many things, if issues like this keep arising... as if I do not already have enough crises rumbling over the horizon as it is without more self-image issues to worry about..."

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

"...strength, weakness? Those are but words, conditions... not life sentences or values in truth. Those talking about the strong versus the weak, of might and righteousness or humility and temperance, they do not see nor understand the full picture. All things are part of a cycle; of growth and decay, ascension and descent."

"Power for its own sake is trite, as is strength without meaning or direction, but that alone does not mean that strength must be used to protect the weak... not that I would disagree with the lattermost stance. What I think is true strength is the power to make that strength multiply and spread - not simply protecting the weak because they are such, but so that they too may become strong, and then nurture others in kind. What point is power if you cannot improve yourself - and others - with its use? Otherwise the more one holds onto it, the more it slips away..."

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

“...I have waxed eloquent on my feelings regarding the topic of ‘Heroism’ before, especially as most people these days seem to be tricked into seeing it due to ‘Popular Media’. But I have to admit, there is one example I can think of that, oddly enough, bucks the trend while being an unusually notable example it all the same. For those who have heard of... Star Wars, was it? Luke Skywalker is... a rather unique take on ‘heroism’ I can actually get behind, at least a little.”

“Don’t get me wrong, he starts out like many other examples throughout history: a simple, mildly bitter and impatient farm-boy of some description, frustrated with monotony and wistfully dreaming of Heroism, Adventure, Glory, and Excitement... Only to find it thrust upon him at the cost of all he knew - his family killed by the forces that he found himself opposing, in search of him.”

“Time and time again he is set up against two different ideals he keeps confusing for the same thing - to be a Hero, to seek out glory and defeat ‘Evil’, and to be a Protector, to only do what is right and just in the defense of others. Time and time again his choices lead him to situations where he tries to be a ‘Hero’, where he flirts with Violence - with Evil - to solve the problems that arise before him... only to barely escape failure and disappointment, having failed to be a ‘Protector’ when he chooses to attack, risking and threatening all those he cares for and loves whenever he does.”

“In the end, faced with the ‘ultimate’ expression of evil in his world... and his long-lost father, he risks becoming what he swore to destroy by choosing violence, and only wins in the end by adoptive a passive, stoic, determined nonviolence, pleading for help from the most unlikely of sources instead of trying to shoulder everything himself in his now-cast-aside ego.”

“...there is a truthful beauty in that story, I think. Not the space-lasers that aren’t actually lasers, the arbitrary understanding of gravity, or the odd space-magic, but in that Message... that to be a ‘Hero’ is to be self-serving, but to be Heroic and Good is to put ego aside for the greater good. You don’t have to ‘be more’ to be a Hero, and far too many forget that violence is, for all its supposed utility, FAR from being the end-all solution to everything- it often simply creates more problems in its wake than it ever solved. We need more ‘Heroes’ that understand that problem, that are willing to bring peace with peaceful actions and selflessness instead of thinking Combat is the key to Glory and Victory.”

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

✿ Two questions - First, are you proud of your child(ren)? Second, do you feel you could have accomplished more in your life?

A low, hearty chuckle. “…they really are the best of me, aren’t they? The sheer miracle that they are, everything they do… their dreams, goals, aspirations… I’m proud of them beyond measure… they give me heart…”

Then, a solemn, distant sigh. “…I accomplished much, I admit, far more than most so-called ‘mortal men’… not all of those accomplishments were truly my own, though, and certainly not all of them were proud moments to reminisce on fondly… but… you ask the wrong question of me. There is always something you do not do because you take another path, one accomplishment in some small way is an acknowledgement that you did not make another in its place… I am not perfectly satisfied with my choices in the past, but I own up to them and take pride in other ways from what I’ve become for them: that is what’s most important, not the minutia of what could have been.”