Our peace for your world
Who: Cyrus and whoever is in his class
What: ETHICS LESSON because you all must be SAVED
Where: Some classroom, probably one with a lot of natural light
When: After lunch sometime I suppose
Warnings: Massive, MASSIVE tldr.
Cyrus stared out over the rows of desks. They had been neat in file just a minute ago, but the flood of students, inconsiderate of such basic concepts as order, had ruined all that. Although at least they were all facing him. Some of his grunts had had...problems with that. Also none of the students had made any zombie references yet, and that was another step in the right direction.
Once he was positive he had their attention, he stood from his desk. It was an embarrassingly low-tech thing, without so much as a built-in monitor! He would have to speak to the school technicians about that.
But now was class time. He knew what he was to say, although he had made no notes aside from his mental note to simplify the language. Not dumb it down--to talk down to them would be counterproductive. Only to use more basic words to accomplish the same ends. He was dealing with children, after all.
In front of the desk, all the eyes on him, he stood with his hands folded behind his back and began. "By your attendance, you have shown yourselves to be superior beings already. You are above those who wish not to learn how to better themselves. Those fools who are pleased with the world as it is. My name is Cyrus, and I will teach you the ways of the ethical world."
He started to pace, arms still held back. "You must wonder what I mean by that. I speak of those things that will truly benefit the world. Living for what is ideal. Shedding sentimental baggage to see the big picture." Pausing briefly in both pace and words and gesturing skyward, he tilted his head back slightly, a gesture of power. "Far too often, we are distracted by our own lives. We cannot see beyond them, and believe the world to be like what we see. If we are happy, we believe all others could be."
Stopping in step, he faced the class again, arms at his sides. "Then there are those who know of the problems in the world and think they can do something. But what is there that we can do? We send money to areas affected by war, we send food to areas stricken by famine, and we think we have helped. But what does it truly do?" His voice had started to shake, and as he prepared the next few words, he exhaled, head drooping. "Money cannot stop war. Food does not solve the causes of famine. Both are only temporary solutions. It is unethical to simply place a bandage on a gangrenous limb. Yet it is also unethical to do nothing. But how are we able to change things on such a grand scale? Is it true as they say that every little bit helps? Or are we simply powerless?"
He blinked. His eyes had unfixed as he spoke, and he had to steel his expression again. "We are not powerless. All of us, every last one of us, has within us the ability to do what is right, what must be done. But only if we are ethical in doing so, or we lose all ability to see the big picture."
Damnation, had he been talking for that long? He had planned to build up to his longer addresses so as not to lose their attention. But that was as good a point as any to ask "Do you have any questions so far?"
What: ETHICS LESSON because you all must be SAVED
Where: Some classroom, probably one with a lot of natural light
When: After lunch sometime I suppose
Warnings: Massive, MASSIVE tldr.
Cyrus stared out over the rows of desks. They had been neat in file just a minute ago, but the flood of students, inconsiderate of such basic concepts as order, had ruined all that. Although at least they were all facing him. Some of his grunts had had...problems with that. Also none of the students had made any zombie references yet, and that was another step in the right direction.
Once he was positive he had their attention, he stood from his desk. It was an embarrassingly low-tech thing, without so much as a built-in monitor! He would have to speak to the school technicians about that.
But now was class time. He knew what he was to say, although he had made no notes aside from his mental note to simplify the language. Not dumb it down--to talk down to them would be counterproductive. Only to use more basic words to accomplish the same ends. He was dealing with children, after all.
In front of the desk, all the eyes on him, he stood with his hands folded behind his back and began. "By your attendance, you have shown yourselves to be superior beings already. You are above those who wish not to learn how to better themselves. Those fools who are pleased with the world as it is. My name is Cyrus, and I will teach you the ways of the ethical world."
He started to pace, arms still held back. "You must wonder what I mean by that. I speak of those things that will truly benefit the world. Living for what is ideal. Shedding sentimental baggage to see the big picture." Pausing briefly in both pace and words and gesturing skyward, he tilted his head back slightly, a gesture of power. "Far too often, we are distracted by our own lives. We cannot see beyond them, and believe the world to be like what we see. If we are happy, we believe all others could be."
Stopping in step, he faced the class again, arms at his sides. "Then there are those who know of the problems in the world and think they can do something. But what is there that we can do? We send money to areas affected by war, we send food to areas stricken by famine, and we think we have helped. But what does it truly do?" His voice had started to shake, and as he prepared the next few words, he exhaled, head drooping. "Money cannot stop war. Food does not solve the causes of famine. Both are only temporary solutions. It is unethical to simply place a bandage on a gangrenous limb. Yet it is also unethical to do nothing. But how are we able to change things on such a grand scale? Is it true as they say that every little bit helps? Or are we simply powerless?"
He blinked. His eyes had unfixed as he spoke, and he had to steel his expression again. "We are not powerless. All of us, every last one of us, has within us the ability to do what is right, what must be done. But only if we are ethical in doing so, or we lose all ability to see the big picture."
Damnation, had he been talking for that long? He had planned to build up to his longer addresses so as not to lose their attention. But that was as good a point as any to ask "Do you have any questions so far?"