20091204: Luke 10:25-37 (Modern Sablean Translation)
Cinait says, "Rosuav, would you like to hear something about a moral
paradox?"
You say, "Sure"
Cinait says, "Surely you have hear the phrase 'love your neighboor'?"
Cinait says, "Well, what if your neighboor is an axe wielding sociopathic
killer bent on destroying your family? He is your neighboor, so you
love him, but can you love such a killer?"
You say, "You misunderstand the concept of neighbour."
Cinait says, "What is it?"
You say, "Your neighbour is not the person living next to you - not in that
sense."
You say, "Let me tell it to you as a story."
You say, "A man was walking from Kelnore to Sable, carrying a fair bit of
money. Bandits attacked him, robbed him - he was no trained
adventurer, so he couldn't just fight them off - and left him for
dead."
You say, "He was badly beaten up, and desperately needed assistance,
because (as I'm sure you're aware) it's a long way from here to
Kelnore, even if you're in the best of health."
You say, "An hour or so later, a cleric passed, heading down to Kelnore to
find lucrative hunting grounds there."
You say, "He saw the man lying there, and thought to himself: I could help
him, but it would mean that I earn a lot less money from hunting, and
I have only a short while before I have to go elsewhere."
You say, "So he just strode past, pretending he hadn't seen the man."
You say, "Then another bold adventurer came through. He'd just been to the
Colonel's estate, hunting fowl, and he was eager to boast of his score
in the tavern."
You say, "He, too, ignored the man, hurrying on to Sable City to get his
ale."
You say, "Then a third man came along. He was a hermit, seldom seen in the
city, usually preferring to live in the swamp north of Sable with his
experiments. When he saw the man, he took pity on him, bandaged his
wounds, and then picked him up and carried him into the city."
You say, "He took him to the Griffon, bought him some food to help him
heal, gave him an ale, and then wordlessly departed back to his
swamp."
You say, "Who was the man's neighbour?"
Cinait says, "The man that helped him, right?"
You nod
You say, "Go ye and do likewise."
Cinait says, "So then a neighbour isn't one that lives in proximity to
another, but one that has a general concern for ones well being
regardless of location."
You say, "Indeed."
Cinait says, "So then a neighbour can not be one that has ill intentions."
You say, "Frequently the two terms coincide. Those who live near each other
will develop a sense of community and will help each other."
Cinait says, "That makes sense."