for lastvoyages: Journal Entry 20 [voice]
[Dracula sounds strangely thoughtful today, and speaks slowly, diplomatically, his accent a little thicker than usual.]
It is a sad fact of our collective existence that what is morally right and what is absolutely necessary are often two different things. I have seen many men fall from public approval because they did what had to be done even when it was ugly and horrible and scarred them personally. One may say that down that way leads the path to moral ruin, but sometimes even that is a sacrifice that must be made for group survival. Better that one man be hated and damned than all suffer.
A favored quotation of mine from my...at this point extensive...readings has been attributed to both Winston Churchill and George Orwell. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." It was true back when I was mortal, and it is equally true now. The search for less violent solutions to a problem is worth the effort, but sometimes it just doesn’t work. And then hands must be dirtied. Soldiers, agents of the law, police officers…veterans of such fields are among the most likely to confront such a morally compromising choice for themselves. It is never easy, and it...changes one. [A pause. He is speaking from experience, and those memories have started to feel faintly…unpleasant. He examines the sensation with curious detachment, then goes on.] But sometimes it is what has to happen. Sometimes lethal force is the only way to protect the general good.
I have been such a rough man. It was what my counterpart in the Breach wished to be. I do not believe that absolute pacifism would ever work in any society. People will always need protection, and sometimes force of arms is needed to perform such a duty. Is it regrettable? I suppose. But history has proven over and over again that it is also necessary. The only real subject of debate is where the line is to be drawn in any given situation that calls for deadly force. [A pregnant pause.] There is indeed such a thing as staying one’s hand too long. And then you end up with the suffering of many on your conscience…if you do not shut out their cries to preserve your sense of righteousness, of course.
Who is truly the better man in such a situation? The one who bloodies his hands for the greater good, or the one who seeks to stop him in the name of an unworkable moral absolute? It is all very well and good to aspire to some higher good, as long as it truly is one.
I admit that I am biased in the current situation, however. Too many among those who make my stay...bearable...have been injured and terrorized by last weekend's proceedings. But the whole situation has me thinking...a great deal, as you can probably tell by now. [A touch of self deprecating humor in his voice]. I would be interested to hear the thoughts of others on where the line is drawn.
[friends filter]
How do you fare? [He actually sounds slightly concerned instead of strictly businesslike.]
[Private to Tony]
Are you well? I was wondering if you'd be willing to do a bit of business with me.
[Private to Armand]
I am asking Tony about your frames. It should be a small matter. Meanwhile, I need a small but discreet favor.
[Private to Franklin]
Are you well? How did you fare through this madness? I have even more strange news. [He sounds slightly better!]