Written By Piccola
Nov. 24, 2020, 11:52 a.m.(6/12/1014 AR)
Savor vengeance, wise general.
Many men have thoughts on the wisdom of vengeance. Some say it is more noble to forgive and more mannish to despise than to revenge an injury. Others say that revenge is profitable whereas forgiveness is expensive. Whether revenge is just or merely an emotion, a thousand scholars have spent a thousand pages memorializing their thoughts, opinions, and fantasies on the subject.
Let me spend one page for mine.
Vengeance is what it is. However we justify sating the appetite to see the pains inflicting on us inflicted upon others, there is no doubt a reaction based on circumstances. For some, it is sweet; others, it is bitter. As we can never truly know what is just to the Gods so it is that we can never be certain that how we feel is appropriate for the revenge we witness or cause. We can only be certain of the feeling itself.
And we are the most adept at convincing ourselves of the righteousness of our causes..
Many men have thoughts on the wisdom of vengeance. Some say it is more noble to forgive and more mannish to despise than to revenge an injury. Others say that revenge is profitable whereas forgiveness is expensive. Whether revenge is just or merely an emotion, a thousand scholars have spent a thousand pages memorializing their thoughts, opinions, and fantasies on the subject.
Let me spend one page for mine.
Vengeance is what it is. However we justify sating the appetite to see the pains inflicting on us inflicted upon others, there is no doubt a reaction based on circumstances. For some, it is sweet; others, it is bitter. As we can never truly know what is just to the Gods so it is that we can never be certain that how we feel is appropriate for the revenge we witness or cause. We can only be certain of the feeling itself.
And we are the most adept at convincing ourselves of the righteousness of our causes..
Written By Piccola
Nov. 19, 2020, 8:18 p.m.(6/2/1014 AR)
Remember, wise general, that all men naturally desire knowledge.
This is apparent when you deprive them of it. A man who loses his sight is ready to give anything to see once more; a man who can no longer taste is ready to give anything to enjoy a meal once more. Their desperation is an indication of how strong our desire for knowledge truly is.
It is therefore strange to me those who would wallow in their own ignorance. Those who do not wish to listen might as well stop up their ears, just as those who do not trust what they see ought to take out their own eyes. Too often the uncertainty which plagues our ability to decide is heeded rather than what we can readily sense. That is when we allow our prejudices to take over our realities.
Remember this when you stride into the field. Never let an opponent win the same way twice; always value your mistakes by learning your weaknesses from them; and honor yourself by improving constantly and without hesitation.
Be bold; be daring; and success will soon come with ease.
This is apparent when you deprive them of it. A man who loses his sight is ready to give anything to see once more; a man who can no longer taste is ready to give anything to enjoy a meal once more. Their desperation is an indication of how strong our desire for knowledge truly is.
It is therefore strange to me those who would wallow in their own ignorance. Those who do not wish to listen might as well stop up their ears, just as those who do not trust what they see ought to take out their own eyes. Too often the uncertainty which plagues our ability to decide is heeded rather than what we can readily sense. That is when we allow our prejudices to take over our realities.
Remember this when you stride into the field. Never let an opponent win the same way twice; always value your mistakes by learning your weaknesses from them; and honor yourself by improving constantly and without hesitation.
Be bold; be daring; and success will soon come with ease.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 18, 2020, 9:43 a.m.(5/27/1014 AR)
The peace we seek, wise general, lies in our hearts.
There it finds glorious expression when we look beyond any differences in religion or tribe. It makes itself known when it rejoices in the beauty of every soul. It compels us to act with compassion and empathy. It chides us when we labor to divide ourselves along lines of belief or territory.
For those who refuse to hear the quiet voice in their heart, they condemn themselves to everlasting war.
Some will be ready. Others, not so. It is the place of the just ruler to ensure that our peace is known and lasts. It is the place of the wise general to ensure that such peace is preserved against those who seek war.
So know well who you are.
There it finds glorious expression when we look beyond any differences in religion or tribe. It makes itself known when it rejoices in the beauty of every soul. It compels us to act with compassion and empathy. It chides us when we labor to divide ourselves along lines of belief or territory.
For those who refuse to hear the quiet voice in their heart, they condemn themselves to everlasting war.
Some will be ready. Others, not so. It is the place of the just ruler to ensure that our peace is known and lasts. It is the place of the wise general to ensure that such peace is preserved against those who seek war.
So know well who you are.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 17, 2020, 9:13 p.m.(5/26/1014 AR)
In the quiet of my room I enjoy the peace that comes from knowing these things.
There are things I shall never have: things that I desire and should justly have. There are things that I may have: things I have rejected and discarded. And there are things which I shall have: things that are neither desired nor rejected, neither possessed nor discarded.
I wonder as I stare into the candle as to the things I have seen and the mysteries I am to chase.
There are things I shall never have: things that I desire and should justly have. There are things that I may have: things I have rejected and discarded. And there are things which I shall have: things that are neither desired nor rejected, neither possessed nor discarded.
I wonder as I stare into the candle as to the things I have seen and the mysteries I am to chase.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 14, 2020, 3:38 p.m.(5/20/1014 AR)
I hear there is a place of where people live without the fear of war or strife. I hear that its citizens voluntarily bind themselves to those who with power in order to enjoy such peace. I hear it is a place of wonder and beauty.
I hope one day to visit.
For those tempered by cruel vicissitude, no criticism holds value. Our ears bend to those in the arena with us, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood. A wise general marks well those who strive valiantly -- who errs and comes short again and again -- because there is no effort without error and no achievement without shortcoming. Those who do the deeds share their tables with those who know the great enthusiasms and devotions of those who spends their lives in a well-fought and worthy cause. All others stand, no matter their seat, outside of such halls.
To the Dominus, I am certain that he knew in the end the triumph of high achievement.
To my Peers, remember best those who at their worst fail while daring greatly, and fight alongside those who would do the same, so that we shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
I hope one day to visit.
For those tempered by cruel vicissitude, no criticism holds value. Our ears bend to those in the arena with us, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood. A wise general marks well those who strive valiantly -- who errs and comes short again and again -- because there is no effort without error and no achievement without shortcoming. Those who do the deeds share their tables with those who know the great enthusiasms and devotions of those who spends their lives in a well-fought and worthy cause. All others stand, no matter their seat, outside of such halls.
To the Dominus, I am certain that he knew in the end the triumph of high achievement.
To my Peers, remember best those who at their worst fail while daring greatly, and fight alongside those who would do the same, so that we shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 11, 2020, 8:47 p.m.(5/14/1014 AR)
There are two ways of coping with fear. One is to diminish the danger giving rise to such fear; the other is to cultivate endurance.
The conquest of fear is of very great importance. Fear is in itself degrading: it becomes an obsession; it produces hate; it leads to excesses of cruelty.
Nothing has so beneficent an effect on human beings as security. And the best security is knowing that you can withstand the howling wind's glory.
The conquest of fear is of very great importance. Fear is in itself degrading: it becomes an obsession; it produces hate; it leads to excesses of cruelty.
Nothing has so beneficent an effect on human beings as security. And the best security is knowing that you can withstand the howling wind's glory.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 10, 2020, 8:40 p.m.(5/12/1014 AR)
History is about the past, yet it exists only in the present.
At the moment of its creation, it is a story after the events with which it is concerned. The story must relate to the moment of its creation as much as its subject. It must exist between the past and the present, but these are two points which cannot be fixed. History therefore is a continuous interaction between the storyteller and the past truth, always affected by the former and never quite resembling the latter.
A wise general must recognize the role and importance of subjectivity in the crafting of a story. All stories are but a fabrication of the storyteller, and by implication is never completely objective. There will always be context and consequently a voice, be it hidden in the order of the words or the notes of the melody. And this sleight of hand, which gives the audience a sense of immediate contact with the past, is the sublime taste of truth which may be savored in each fireside tale.
A story's reality then is an illusion from which we must grasp the truth which we want to believe or we must believe. In this way, each history is but a myth or ideology as it purports to be reality. Indeed, storytelling is often seen as one of the most important functions of constructing our political realities as nobles, as generals, or as leaders.
Heed well then the power of the hearth, wise general.
At the moment of its creation, it is a story after the events with which it is concerned. The story must relate to the moment of its creation as much as its subject. It must exist between the past and the present, but these are two points which cannot be fixed. History therefore is a continuous interaction between the storyteller and the past truth, always affected by the former and never quite resembling the latter.
A wise general must recognize the role and importance of subjectivity in the crafting of a story. All stories are but a fabrication of the storyteller, and by implication is never completely objective. There will always be context and consequently a voice, be it hidden in the order of the words or the notes of the melody. And this sleight of hand, which gives the audience a sense of immediate contact with the past, is the sublime taste of truth which may be savored in each fireside tale.
A story's reality then is an illusion from which we must grasp the truth which we want to believe or we must believe. In this way, each history is but a myth or ideology as it purports to be reality. Indeed, storytelling is often seen as one of the most important functions of constructing our political realities as nobles, as generals, or as leaders.
Heed well then the power of the hearth, wise general.
Written By Piccola
Nov. 9, 2020, 12:35 p.m.(5/10/1014 AR)
I am haunted by a vision that is not of my own design.
A woman's need of self-esteem entails the need for a sense of control over reality. No such control is possible in a universe which, by one's own concession, contains the supernatural, the miraculous and the causeless. A universe in which one is at the mercy of ghosts and demons defies all such control, for if there are things which are unknown or unknowable, so it must be that a wise woman must concede a lack of understanding. And though I would never profess an absolute understanding of all, I believe, as I must, in an understanding of what I know.
I wonder and fear all at once, searching in the darkness for light.
A woman's need of self-esteem entails the need for a sense of control over reality. No such control is possible in a universe which, by one's own concession, contains the supernatural, the miraculous and the causeless. A universe in which one is at the mercy of ghosts and demons defies all such control, for if there are things which are unknown or unknowable, so it must be that a wise woman must concede a lack of understanding. And though I would never profess an absolute understanding of all, I believe, as I must, in an understanding of what I know.
I wonder and fear all at once, searching in the darkness for light.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 24, 2020, 3:52 p.m.(4/6/1014 AR)
Philosophers and scholars have oft lamented that violence is evil, and that whatever the cause it is unjustified morally.
I have oft lamented that such wise words come from men who have been never been a slave and desperate break his chains.
Violence aimed at the recovery of human dignity and equality cannot be judged as similar to violence aimed at maintaining discrimination and oppression.
I have oft lamented that such wise words come from men who have been never been a slave and desperate break his chains.
Violence aimed at the recovery of human dignity and equality cannot be judged as similar to violence aimed at maintaining discrimination and oppression.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 18, 2020, 7:29 p.m.(3/22/1014 AR)
Remember, wise general, that it is the greatest weakness to attribute infinite credit to particular authors.
Time is the author of all authors, and, therefore, of all authority. Truth is the daughter of time not of authority. It is not wonderful, therefore, if the bonds of antiquity, authority, and unanimity have so enchained the power of man, that he is unable to become familiar with things themselves.
Consequently behold not the words on the page, but instead that such words ring powerfully despite time's passage.
Time is the author of all authors, and, therefore, of all authority. Truth is the daughter of time not of authority. It is not wonderful, therefore, if the bonds of antiquity, authority, and unanimity have so enchained the power of man, that he is unable to become familiar with things themselves.
Consequently behold not the words on the page, but instead that such words ring powerfully despite time's passage.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 16, 2020, 11:33 a.m.(3/17/1014 AR)
Competition is useful up to a certain point and no further.
But cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.
A wise general knows when this point arrives in any conflict.
But cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.
A wise general knows when this point arrives in any conflict.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 14, 2020, 8:11 p.m.(3/14/1014 AR)
Heed this, wise general: nothing replaces perseverance.
Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination have solved and always will solve the problems of the world. As for the travails we now face: we should never despair. Our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times.
Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination have solved and always will solve the problems of the world. As for the travails we now face: we should never despair. Our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 11, 2020, 11:26 a.m.(3/7/1014 AR)
Arvum belongs to the Gods, and we are but strangers and sojourners to them.
So it is that a refugee, fleeing the unfathomable familiarity of oppression and indignity, is as much a foreigner to the Compact as we are to the Gods. To them, our lives are but fleeting. To the stone, we are frail and soft; to the earth, limited; to the sea, weak; and to the wind, nothing. What matters to the Gods is faith; what should matter to us is respect for ours. We are the same; we present to the Gods as the same; and so long as they yield as the same are we kin in spirit.
Blood is blood; bone is bone.
So it is that a refugee, fleeing the unfathomable familiarity of oppression and indignity, is as much a foreigner to the Compact as we are to the Gods. To them, our lives are but fleeting. To the stone, we are frail and soft; to the earth, limited; to the sea, weak; and to the wind, nothing. What matters to the Gods is faith; what should matter to us is respect for ours. We are the same; we present to the Gods as the same; and so long as they yield as the same are we kin in spirit.
Blood is blood; bone is bone.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 10, 2020, 10:57 p.m.(3/6/1014 AR)
Valor is the result of making continuous efforts.
The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it. We are often on the line and do not know it. Many generals have thrown up her hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success.
As the tide goes clear out, so it comes clear in.
In war, victory may seem least likely when in reality it is but a moment away. A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. There is no failure except in no longer trying.
There is no defeat except from within and no barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.
The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it. We are often on the line and do not know it. Many generals have thrown up her hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success.
As the tide goes clear out, so it comes clear in.
In war, victory may seem least likely when in reality it is but a moment away. A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. There is no failure except in no longer trying.
There is no defeat except from within and no barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 9, 2020, 9:11 p.m.(3/4/1014 AR)
Everything can collapse.
Houses, bodies, and armies collapse when their rhythm becomes disrupted.
In large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without letting the chance go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover. Crush them utterly.
Honor a noble surrender, but know when a surrender is truly noble.
Everything can collapse.
Houses, bodies, and armies collapse when their rhythm becomes disrupted.
In large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without letting the chance go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover. Crush them utterly.
Honor a noble surrender, but know when a surrender is truly noble.
Everything can collapse.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 3, 2020, 2:59 p.m.(2/20/1014 AR)
Someone once asked me what I know of war.
I know of bleeding. I know of pain. I have stopped earnestly caring about it.
People contemplate war and devise all sorts of horrors. Others still have been in it and know that these are not imaginings. As wonderful and beatific the works of some may be, we are all capable of atrocities and debasement.
I have done these things, wise general. They weigh on the soul.
Some people have a bad day. I have had a bad life. I am more comfortable with those who have had the same, for they understand how I have felt and where I have been.
Threats only work on someone who has something to lose. I know what it is like to have lost it all. And I know what it is like to get it back.
This is what I know of war.
I know of bleeding. I know of pain. I have stopped earnestly caring about it.
People contemplate war and devise all sorts of horrors. Others still have been in it and know that these are not imaginings. As wonderful and beatific the works of some may be, we are all capable of atrocities and debasement.
I have done these things, wise general. They weigh on the soul.
Some people have a bad day. I have had a bad life. I am more comfortable with those who have had the same, for they understand how I have felt and where I have been.
Threats only work on someone who has something to lose. I know what it is like to have lost it all. And I know what it is like to get it back.
This is what I know of war.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 2, 2020, 3:22 p.m.(2/18/1014 AR)
Wise general, let me give you a word on change.
The history of liberty shows that all freedoms have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Those who profess to favor freedom without agitation are those who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; it may be a physical one; it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Authority concedes nothing without a demand, one that is delivered with blood and bone.
When you find what any person will quietly submit to, you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them. These injustices will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
We might not get all we work for in this world, but we still must work for it. For freedom to persist, we must pay for its survival.
We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives.
The history of liberty shows that all freedoms have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Those who profess to favor freedom without agitation are those who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; it may be a physical one; it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Authority concedes nothing without a demand, one that is delivered with blood and bone.
When you find what any person will quietly submit to, you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them. These injustices will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
We might not get all we work for in this world, but we still must work for it. For freedom to persist, we must pay for its survival.
We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives.
Written By Piccola
Oct. 1, 2020, 9:50 a.m.(2/15/1014 AR)
Inner peace, which is the most important, is that which comes from within us when we realize our relationship with our surroundings and all its powers.
In that moment, when the Gods bequeath to us the realization that everywhere is within and what is within is everywhere, we find real peace -- true peace -- and the only peace that matters.
Outer peace is that which is made between us and others. There can never be peace with those whose beliefs threaten to damage and harm us and those we care about. There can never be peace between us and those who swear to or live by customs which are anathema to our own so severely that it causes us to question our own faith in the Gods.
Inner peace is possible without outer peace. Complete peace may never come about in our lifetime. So it is that the wise general defends herself against the predation of others to protect the inner peace she may find.
In that moment, when the Gods bequeath to us the realization that everywhere is within and what is within is everywhere, we find real peace -- true peace -- and the only peace that matters.
Outer peace is that which is made between us and others. There can never be peace with those whose beliefs threaten to damage and harm us and those we care about. There can never be peace between us and those who swear to or live by customs which are anathema to our own so severely that it causes us to question our own faith in the Gods.
Inner peace is possible without outer peace. Complete peace may never come about in our lifetime. So it is that the wise general defends herself against the predation of others to protect the inner peace she may find.
Written By Piccola
Sept. 27, 2020, 3:05 p.m.(2/8/1014 AR)
In the various states of society, armies are recruited from very different motives.
Warriors are urged by the love of war. For them, the motivation is simple: war is a fascination to them, one for which they have been rewarded and punished alternately by the hands of the Gods.
Free citizens are prompted by a principle of duty. For them, the motivation is belonging: they are encouraged to engage in service to be part of the group body of loyal participants in the protection of their freedoms.
Subjects of authority are animated by necessity. For them, the motivation is survival: without their liege or his favor they and their families may be deprived of what little they have, and thus be forced into crime or a worse station.
For the remainder -- the timid but luxurious inhabitants of a declining kingdom -- they must be allured into the service by the hopes of profit, or compelled by the dread of punishment.
Warriors are urged by the love of war. For them, the motivation is simple: war is a fascination to them, one for which they have been rewarded and punished alternately by the hands of the Gods.
Free citizens are prompted by a principle of duty. For them, the motivation is belonging: they are encouraged to engage in service to be part of the group body of loyal participants in the protection of their freedoms.
Subjects of authority are animated by necessity. For them, the motivation is survival: without their liege or his favor they and their families may be deprived of what little they have, and thus be forced into crime or a worse station.
For the remainder -- the timid but luxurious inhabitants of a declining kingdom -- they must be allured into the service by the hopes of profit, or compelled by the dread of punishment.
Written By Piccola
Sept. 23, 2020, 11:08 a.m.(1/27/1014 AR)
Love is for the best of warriors only.
To love someone is to watch them die over and over in the war against time. Time takes all things from them, until the Queen of Endings finally ends the struggle by taking you from the field. Be strong, for who they were, who you may have fallen in love with, will be defeated eventually, leaving a person you may not recognize.
To love someone is a constant struggle between hope and despair. Circumstances will tempt you to break honor and promises for a fate which may never come to be. Be steady, for such temptations and exceptions lead to the small fractures that grow and widen until the greatest walls fall and the center becomes exposed.
But to love someone is to be wise enough to know that each defeat brings something greater. The weak seek to cling to a memory, but the strong seek to reach for something which only temporarily remains out of their reach. Be wise, for who they will become may be someone for whom you will share a greater love and a bolder future.
Live every moment and persevere against the odds, for history does not remember the timid.
To love someone is to watch them die over and over in the war against time. Time takes all things from them, until the Queen of Endings finally ends the struggle by taking you from the field. Be strong, for who they were, who you may have fallen in love with, will be defeated eventually, leaving a person you may not recognize.
To love someone is a constant struggle between hope and despair. Circumstances will tempt you to break honor and promises for a fate which may never come to be. Be steady, for such temptations and exceptions lead to the small fractures that grow and widen until the greatest walls fall and the center becomes exposed.
But to love someone is to be wise enough to know that each defeat brings something greater. The weak seek to cling to a memory, but the strong seek to reach for something which only temporarily remains out of their reach. Be wise, for who they will become may be someone for whom you will share a greater love and a bolder future.
Live every moment and persevere against the odds, for history does not remember the timid.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.