Compassion versus the Vagabond

An oral lecture by Bishop Castrilyn Lancaster to Thomas Adallen, squire-aspirant of the Silver Hand, "Compassion Versus the Vagabond" is a lesson of the virtue compassion in which the Bishop explains the importance of the "double-edged sword" metaphor and the importance of when to exercise and restrain various forms of the principle.

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Thomas "... What kind of example are you looking for- well, uh, suppose you pass by someone who looks like they... are struggling with something - a physical task. They don't ask for help, but you insist an offer on helping because you feel it is the right thing to do. Even though you are helping, it may not be seen as so." =====

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Thomas "... I suppose I am. One needs to know how to... understand another. You have to look around you, step back from a situation and try to se if you're truly needed before you apply yourself to the situation at hand. =====

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Bishop Lancaster "Alright, I can respect that, though let me give you an example. While coming cross a bridge leaving the Mage Quarter, you are approached by an individual in rather poor repair. Ragged clothes, unkept hair, poor looking lad in general. Smelled of booze too, it clung to him as strong as a newborn to their mother, metaphorically, of course. The man as he approached asks for a few coins, saying he is hungry and has been 'down on his luck.' Well, unbeknownst to him, you have witnessed this same man in the past conning good-willing citizens, and using their coin to further his problem by spending it to drink ale. Now you would think, knowing his tendencies, you should show compassion by not giving him the coins for 'food' because you know he is going to just spend it on alcohol. By not giving him coin, you show compassion by indirectly inhibiting his addiction, correct?" =====

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Bishop Lancaster "Well, the answer is yes, and no. By showing compassion in that sense, yes, I didn't aid his alcoholism, but at the same time I didn't solve it either. At the end of the day, he still is a vagabond alcoholic who, lets be honest, was probably genuinely struggling for money to provide himself with food too. Well, let take this a step back now. If I did give the man coin, we both know that he would of instead spent it on booze, and now my act of compassion, as sincere and honest as it was, solved nothing and only worsened the problem. So you can see how either of our two possible acts of compassion only great a more dangerous issue, correct?" =====

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Bishop Lancaster "Exactly, and now you're thinking outside the box. Compassion is not always a clean-cut choice. It is often grey and you must rely on the Light's good will and your instinct. =====

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Bishop Lancaster "So let's go with your answer and provide the man with food instead of coin. What will happen once you leave? What will he eat tomorrow? He will still be poor after you depart and once again fall victim to hunger." =====

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Bishop Lancaster "Exactly. So now after exploring our three possible acts of compassion, all different in execution and style, we still did not solve our root problem at hand, which is the man is starving and needs help to get back on his feet, albeit providing him food was better than the other two options. So, this is what I would have done. I would of offered the man a chance to come with me, a chance to change from his rags to something presentable. We could find him a job, perhaps a deck hand in the harbor, or a smith's aid, a stable keeper. Now the man has money, and now a man can feed himself and stay off the streets." =====

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Bishop Lancaster "Which you are right, however, now the man shall not starve to death, which I think we can agree is far better than our other three options. Compassion is tricky and won't always be perfect. Now that he is clothed and fed, we still cannot abandon him because as you pointed out, now the only thing that changed is he can now afford his booze, and well, hopefully food too. So how do we solve this issue? Well, perhaps we could mentor him, bring him to the Light, encourage him to find pleasure in other forms, such as helping the less fortunate, or making toys for orphans, whatever it be, as long as it is not the bottom of a glass." =====

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Thomas "It makes sense now... I see how my choices affect the outcome of the situation. The decision to employ or not to employ compassion all had noble intentions, but depending on how I did it and the course of action I took, it could've been beneficial or damaging for the vagabond." =====