Giri and Free WillWhat is free will? It is the ability to make choices, independent from any outside influence. The ability to assess a situation, assess your role in it, and decide what you want to do. Free will is impeded any time an outside source interferes with that decision-making ability--whether partially through mundane coercion or entirely through magic such as necromancy.What is giri? It is a person's duty or destiny. Not destiny in the sense that a plan exists for them outside their control--rather, it is the destiny they choose for themselves. It is The Right Thing in any given situation. It is the process of assessing a situation, assessing your role in it, and deciding to do what needs to be done in that situation. One person's giri may be different from the next; in the same set of circumstances, they may make different choices, each choosing what they believe to be Right. They will disagree with each other; perhaps they will come into conflict. But each has fulfilled his own giri. Giri does not exist without free will. It is this ability to make choices, to make your right choice, that makes us individuals. That sets us apart from one another. The two concepts are inseparable, and indeed, one and the same. Understanding this is critical to every denizen of these Realms, but especially to those who once did and would again call themselves Kathrani. The Kathrani serve the Kal en Dral; the Kal are inherently tied to the natural balance of the world. So what does this mean? There is a common conception that a failure to fulfill giri results in a loss to the world. A sense that if you make the Wrong choice, the world will suffer because of this. Perhaps this is true, but I do not believe it is the direct consequence. Rather, a Wrong choice--a failure to fulfill giri, a choice that interferes with natural balance--results in a loss of self. A weakening of the individual. Such a loss, in turn, is a loss to the world as well, but such is the secondary consequence. When one person's giri is unfulfilled, balance is disrupted. This can happen when a Wrong decision is made. Far more unbalancing, however, is when giri is left unfulfilled due to subversion of free will. If the actions you take are only taken because of the coercion of another, then it is that other's giri who is being fulfilled--not your own. Not only has that person made a Wrong choice by subverting your will, but your giri becomes nonexistent. The Kathrani must revere free will lest they disrupt the balance of the world they claim to want to protect. Without free will, there is no giri. [Message history] |
Created by Monique (Angela Wood) at 05-20-13 10:17 AM
Last Modified by Monique (Angela Wood) at 05-20-13 10:17 AM