Kevin's Watch

Wasn't Donaldson really a bit heavy-handed with all the ethical decision-making going on in the Last Chronicles? Are there people in reality who ponder every decision as if it had ethical consequences forever?

I don't think of it that way.

I think he needed a lot of road to get where he needed to go. Everything that happens has to be grounded in the characters. So everything starts with something happening to the characters. And then we need to follow the characters' reactions through the stew of their emotions and then the digestion process until the answer pops out. (Don't. Just don't.)

Given those requirements, the deeper the insight is, the longer it takes to get there. It is, to say it succinctly, "earned". The more important it is, the harder it is to earn.

Say what you may about that, but when it is earned, you respect it more.

No. No one ponders every decision as if it has ethical consequences forever. But when the fate of the world and everyone it it hangs in the balance, don't you think that those decisions, in fact, do?

[It would be interesting to compare your post to the numerous posts complaining about how rashly Linden acted.]

Actually be honest - think about major decisions in your life. How often do you think about them - go back and forth. Ask people about them - sometimes multiple people. Re think - maybe even study the question out in the internet, books, expert opinions, etc

If you were to type out every single instance where you did all that thinking studying talking etc don't you think it would turn out pretty lengthy?

+JMJ+

wayfriend wrote:[…]

[It would be interesting to compare your post to the numerous posts complaining about how rashly Linden acted.]

wayfriend wrote:No. No one ponders every decision as if it has ethical consequences forever. But when the fate of the world and everyone it it hangs in the balance, don't you think that those decisions, in fact, do?

My thoughts as well.