Most organized bodies, such as governments, religions,
businesses, clubs, and even families, have lists of Dos and Don’ts. It doesn’t matter what they’re called -
rules, laws, commandments - they are lists of behavior that society believes
people need to follow in order for everyone to coexist in peace and
harmony. They are lists that deal with
actions.
Rhychard Bartlett, Warrior of the Way, is thrown out of one
belief system and dragged, kicking and screaming, into another, one that has
left him a little confused as to what is truly right and wrong. There is no list, no Ten Commandments,
because the Way and the Void is all about motives, not actions. It is not so much what you do as to why you
do it that now matters.
In Reaping the Harvest,
I explore this concept through two characters, flipping them from how society
would traditionally view them. The first
is Buttercup, a prostitute on the streets of Harbor City that crosses
Rhychard’s path. While Rhychard doesn’t
judge Buttercup, even to the point of telling her that he didn’t care for the
term whore, he still didn’t understand how she could sell her body the way she
did. “Why would gargoyles be following a
girl who works the streets? Wasn’t she
already a child of the Void?”
 |
| Kree in watercolor by SEA Creations |
It was Kree who had to straighten out his bent, human
logic. “That’s not how it works,
Warrior. Motives, not actions. Her business is to bring pleasure to her
clients and she does that with her body.
How is that different than people who bring pleasure by their music and
art? Just because your human society
believes something wrong doesn’t mean that the Way does. On the contrary, quite often those who would
protest what she does and wish to bring harm to her in order to force her to
cease her endeavors are of the Void. Do
you really think that those who would blow up abortion clinics are of the
Way? Your world sometimes has a skewed
view of the righteous path.”
An extreme example, perhaps, but it serves the purpose. Following actions from a list can make a
person mechanical. There is no thinking
involved really and it doesn’t paint a whole picture. Take murder, for example. Most everyone would agree that murder is
evil. However, there is a difference
between killing for selfish gain, like robbing a store clerk, and having to
kill to protect your country, your family, or yourself. What makes it different is the motive behind
the act and that is the philosophy behind the Way and the Void. The Way is the path of righteousness and the
Void, the way of evil.
The other extreme example is in the character of Pastor
Adrian Michaels. His desire was to grow
his church. However, he wasn’t doing it
for the Kingdom of God or to see people ministered to as the church should be
doing. He did it because he wanted the
prestige that came with having a bigger church as well as the financial gain
that would come with more members.
Neither of those reasons had anything to do with spirituality. Neither of them had the motive of the Way.
 |
| Gargoyles in flight |
And that is what the faery world is trying to teach
Rhychard. You don’t need to memorize
lengthy lists of Thou Shalts and Thou Shalt Nots. All you have to do is mind your heart. If your heart is pure, then your motives will
be of the Way. Otherwise, you’re on the
path of the Void and could very well find yourself at the end of the Guardian
Sword with Rhychard glaring down at you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Other posts you might enjoy ~ The Ending Determines the Beginning
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