Something about the Aiel in Wheel of Time
So, as much as I enjoy the Aiel in WOT, I've always been miffed that nobody ever stood up to their leadership and asked several hard questions, in public, with many ears to hear.
The Aiel love and prize books and are avid readers, yet ... where are the Aiel written and published books? You love to tell us how much we do not know, how ignorant we are, how lazy and soft we are, and yet, when it comes to this, you cannot get enough of our books and our ideas. You consume and give nothing back, that we might know your ideas, stories, and ways, and you dare to call us ignorant.
Along the same vein? Where are your gleemen and your songs? If we lived your "superior" way, there would be neither books, nor gleemen, nor songs other than war chants and funeral dirges. Would this be an improvement or desirable?
You are happy to purchase sea-folk porcelain, fine rugs, and fine metal work such as pins and needles. Where are your fine trade goods outside of jewelry, some of which you make, but much of which was looted in the Aiel War?
You claim to love honor and truth and knowledge and yet you withheld important truths from the people about their heritage and the origins of the for thousands of years. The story of the journey to the 3 fold land that the average person knew was only a partial truth. Why do you think you had that right when you knew the whole story? Why do you think it was appropriate to treat them like children? What do you think about some of the ideas and notions this witholding of the truth engendered?
You claim that the west does not fight the shadow hard enough, and yet, Aiel raiding parties coming through Tarwin's Gap or Niamh Passes means that the nation of Shienar has to garrison soldiers on the border between Shienar and Aiel lands to protect people and goods from the Aiel, meaning that cannot be deployed along the blightborder. How is weakening a people's ability to fight humanity's shared enemy good, just, or proper?
You claim the life of a permanent servant is contemptable, but that is a choice people make, and yet you sell Westlanders into slavery where they have no choice but to serve another, if they are in Aiel lands and are not a merchant, a gleeman, or a Tuatha'an. How is this just?
Building on that previous question, you claim that a child or a fool can kill, which is why the most honor is gained by taking an opponent peacefully in battle. And yet, if the leaders of Shienar, Cairhien, Tear, or Mayene -- nations which have never attacked you -- sent an emissary on a mission of peace, they would likely be killed outright, sold into slavery, or be turned loose naked and with only a small water bottle in the desert, virtually guaranteeing their death by exposure. How would killing a messenger of peace be honorable?
You call the Cairhien people "treekillers" when, in fact, only one person was responsible for that act. Building on this logic, then, are you not all equally responsible for the deaths and devastation caused by Couladin and his lie? What do the Aiel do to liars, thieves, and murderers?
The Aiel love and prize books and are avid readers, yet ... where are the Aiel written and published books? You love to tell us how much we do not know, how ignorant we are, how lazy and soft we are, and yet, when it comes to this, you cannot get enough of our books and our ideas. You consume and give nothing back, that we might know your ideas, stories, and ways, and you dare to call us ignorant.
Along the same vein? Where are your gleemen and your songs? If we lived your "superior" way, there would be neither books, nor gleemen, nor songs other than war chants and funeral dirges. Would this be an improvement or desirable?
You are happy to purchase sea-folk porcelain, fine rugs, and fine metal work such as pins and needles. Where are your fine trade goods outside of jewelry, some of which you make, but much of which was looted in the Aiel War?
You claim to love honor and truth and knowledge and yet you withheld important truths from the people about their heritage and the origins of the for thousands of years. The story of the journey to the 3 fold land that the average person knew was only a partial truth. Why do you think you had that right when you knew the whole story? Why do you think it was appropriate to treat them like children? What do you think about some of the ideas and notions this witholding of the truth engendered?
You claim that the west does not fight the shadow hard enough, and yet, Aiel raiding parties coming through Tarwin's Gap or Niamh Passes means that the nation of Shienar has to garrison soldiers on the border between Shienar and Aiel lands to protect people and goods from the Aiel, meaning that cannot be deployed along the blightborder. How is weakening a people's ability to fight humanity's shared enemy good, just, or proper?
You claim the life of a permanent servant is contemptable, but that is a choice people make, and yet you sell Westlanders into slavery where they have no choice but to serve another, if they are in Aiel lands and are not a merchant, a gleeman, or a Tuatha'an. How is this just?
Building on that previous question, you claim that a child or a fool can kill, which is why the most honor is gained by taking an opponent peacefully in battle. And yet, if the leaders of Shienar, Cairhien, Tear, or Mayene -- nations which have never attacked you -- sent an emissary on a mission of peace, they would likely be killed outright, sold into slavery, or be turned loose naked and with only a small water bottle in the desert, virtually guaranteeing their death by exposure. How would killing a messenger of peace be honorable?
You call the Cairhien people "treekillers" when, in fact, only one person was responsible for that act. Building on this logic, then, are you not all equally responsible for the deaths and devastation caused by Couladin and his lie? What do the Aiel do to liars, thieves, and murderers?