People in Terra, governing a weird little country

"Then, if I tell you that I can save a country by killing you, would you be willing?"

Andorn hesitated.

Perhaps he was thinking about Ernst's question, or perhaps he had doubts about sacrificing himself to save his country, or perhaps he simply cherished his life, Andorn hesitated for a moment.

Ernst did not urge him, but waited quietly for a while, until Andorn came forward and gave the answer:

"I am willing."

“You are a saint.”

There was a hint of appreciation and admiration in Ernst's eyes.

Although it was just verbal talk and not put into practice, the fact that he could say "I do" meant that, at least in terms of public morality, no one could criticize Andorn.

The so-called public morality refers to the morality towards public affairs, the public, and society. To be more specific, it is [freedom], [equality], [justice], and [rule of law]. Those who pursue these are called public morality by Ernst, and those who can practice these and achieve perfection are called saints by Ernst.

Many people would regard this as a polite remark and would not bother to say it, but whether they are both disdainful or even feel embarrassed to say it out loud, Ernst dared not say it, nor was it easy to say it. He could only say that those who understand will understand.

However, Ernst was not very willing to associate with people who could do all of these things.

After all, saints are "selfless". Making friends with such people is like looking into a bright spotlight. As a civil servant, Ernst, whose moral standards are not that high and whose bottom line is even a little flexible, can't stand it.

But Andorn didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Facing Ernst's praise, he frowned and said, "I think this is a very worthwhile thing. If everyone can give a little love, the earth can become a beautiful home. If you need me to give more, I will do it."

If everyone in the world gave me one dollar, I could become a billionaire. I also had this dream when I was a child.

Ernst complained in his heart.

He finally understood Andon and felt the difference between him and himself.

One is an extreme idealist, the other is a flexible realist. Maybe their starting point is to make the world a better place, but the paths they take are not the same.

"Do you want to know my answer?" Ernst looked at Andorn and asked.

Andorn nodded, looking quite expectant.

That will disappoint you.

Ernst sighed helplessly in his heart, but spoke out his answer neatly:

"I do not want to."

"I don't want to die, I don't want to have my hands cut off, I don't even want to have a hair pulled out."

"If in reality, there is a poor person falling in front of me, I will lend a hand to help. If I can save a group of people, I will definitely do my best within my ability. Just like the [Humanitarian] speech you mentioned when you came to me, but this is reality, and we have to consider various factors, including gains and losses, impact, and conscience."

"If it's reasonable, I won't give a penny."

Andorn was stunned and speechless.

PS: I sent the exam. I sent the exam. I sent the exam. I sent the exam! Woo woo woo! I have to take the make-up exam next semester!

Chapter 229: Andorn: I have realized it. I will build my own paradise on earth!

"Liezi·Yang Zhu Chapter": In ancient times, people would not sacrifice even a hair to benefit the world, and would not take anything from the world if it served them all. If everyone does not sacrifice even a hair, and everyone does not benefit the world, the world will be in order.

This is the origin of the term "stingy".

Presenting facts and reasoning, the phrase "not giving a penny" is often used today to denounce the stinginess of some people, which is largely the result of respecting Confucianism and Mencius. Because one of the Confucian classics, Mencius, described Yang Zhu's doctrine as follows: "Yang Zhu's self-centeredness is no king; Mo Zhu's universal love is no father. No king and no father are beasts."

This insult is indeed a bit vicious. According to the Confucian concept of Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents and Teachers, scolding you for having no emperor and no father can basically be said to have directly thrown your personality into the abyss. No wonder people have used this allusion for thousands of years, but they don't know much about the story behind this allusion and Yang Zhu's doctrine.

When Andorn heard Ernst's answer, an undisguised look of astonishment appeared on his face.

If you take a penny, you can save several people. Isn't this a sure-win business? Why not do it?

Moreover, this was different from what he knew about Ernst's deeds. A person who could stand up and encourage the Grand Duke to evacuate the citizens of Londinium should not be such a stingy person.

But after seeing Ernst's slightly helpless expression, he quickly reacted.

Ernst set the tone for the discussion from the beginning: they were talking about reason and arguing only on a theoretical level, which did not mean they would actually do so in reality.

The scientists who study and discuss how to create more lethal weapons will not actually try to use weapons of mass destruction in real life, right?

After calming down, Andorn, although he disagreed, still asked humbly: "Mr. Ernst, why do you say that?"

Ernst glanced at him and replied, "Because it's human nature."

"You and I have nothing but this skin. If three people ask you for help and ask you to pluck out a hair for them, it would be an infringement of your most precious and sacred property, life. People will not agree to this."

"But this is just..."

"But it's just a hair, accounting for only one ten-millionth of the body, right?" Ernst stared straight into Andorn's eyes, "That's just because you don't care. Don't you think everyone cares?"

"People in Yan country love to grow beards. There is a proverb that says 'If you don't have hair on your mouth, you can't do things well'. There is also a 'bearded man' who spends his whole life protecting his beard. A beard is just a hair. If an unrelated person asks to cut off his beard to save his life, do you think he would agree?"

Just because you don’t care doesn’t mean no one cares.

In Ernst's view, some people spend their entire lives studying for fame, some people spend their entire lives chasing after money, some people learn endlessly in search of truth, and some people just want to live a quiet life. These are just different personal pursuits. As long as it does not harm others, then one can "do what one wants without going beyond the rules."

For the development of society, we can advocate certain values, encourage struggle for the collective interests, and express admiration for some noble people who sacrifice their own interests for the greater good, but we must never force everyone to have the same moral character and values ​​as saints!

That would cause trouble!

The lesson of Mr. Wang Mang, the "time traveler emperor" who was often teased by netizens in later generations, is still fresh in our minds. Whether he was a real time traveler who wanted to carry out large-scale collective production, liberate slaves and make everyone equal, reform the government to consolidate authority, or fake time travel and truly restore the past, implement the well-field system, and respect the Confucianism of the pre-Qin period, he failed. The reason for his failure is well known - he made reforms that were not in line with the times, hijacked the values ​​of the world with his own values, and did the most shzy or slave-like things in the most feudal era!

So, Ernst was left to answer Andorn's question, and he would not give any other answer except this - not a penny.

This is not superficial stinginess, but truly valuing one's own life, cherishing one's greatest wealth, and knowing the greatest need for a society's development - people.

"I respect your choice, but I also respect everyone's choice. Respect does not mean approval or denial, but because I know that 'the free development of each person is the condition for the free development of all people'."

The second half of this sentence comes from a famous article that has shaken the whole world - "The Communist Manifesto".

Andorn stood there in a daze, seemingly thinking about something. Ernst did not stop talking:

"This is just one individual, what if it's a group?"

"From the perspective of the group, a certain person is just a part of the group. If he is useful, he is just a limb. If he is useless, he is just hair. If he damages his limbs, hair, and sweat, he can save ten or a hundred people. Is the group willing to do that?"

The collective certainly does not want to do this, because within the collective there is already a will, interests, needs, friends, partners, colleagues and other relationships, and the collective is already a matter of tethering the entire body.

Individuals are already in the most ideal situation, but they are still reluctant to act rashly because of their personal interests. How much more so for a collective that represents the interests of more people?

And this argument can even be further developed.

"For a country, a city is just a part of it. A big city is like its limbs, while a small city is like its hair. If sacrificing one city can save ten cities, will the country be willing to do so?"

"Let's go back to your original question. To this land, Lateran is just a part of it. Big countries like Victoria and Ursus are its limbs, and small countries like Lateran are its hairs. Sacrificing Lateran can save Victoria. Ursus, do you think this land is willing?"

Ernst didn't know whether the land had a will, but even if it did, the answer was certain.

Who are Ursus and Victoria? What is Lateran?

If we are all doomed, we will all be doomed together. How can we sacrifice one to save the other? Besides, why would the earth agree to such a loss-making deal?

But Andorn couldn't answer this question. He couldn't even answer "I do" without hesitation like he did not long ago.

Just like what Ernst said, a person is already the most ideal condition. Because what a person needs to cut is only the hands, feet, and hair. But it is different if you go above that.

The collective is a human life, the country is a city life, and the earth is a country life!

Ernst didn't even need to explain anything. If Andorn was a little bit smarter, he would be able to realize that this was not a "question of self-sacrifice full of righteousness, generosity and heroism" at all. He said "I am willing", and in this hypothesis, he was making a decision on behalf of a person, a city, and a country, sending them to death to save a group of unrelated people.

This is the trolley problem on steroids.

As we all know, the trolley problem has no solution without adding additional conditions.

For a person who is flawless in public morality, this unsolvable problem of public morality is the most stressful issue for him.

There was a long silence. Just when Ernst, who was resting with his eyes closed, was about to fall asleep again, Andorn finally spoke.

His expression seemed a little confused.

It wasn't that he didn't understand Ernst's words, but that he understood them too deeply.

He suddenly realized that even if he really rushed into the Vatican, found Evangelista XI, forced him to reveal the truth about the Lateran Law, and questioned him why people who were supposed to be born equal were born unequal, whether the Lateran Paradise could benefit Iberia and all parts of Terra, he could only give himself one answer:

--cannot.

But this was not the most despairing thing for him. What really made him discouraged was another conclusion that arose from this:

If there is a God in Lateran, then this "cannot" is the conclusion drawn by "one person (God)" without any effort.

But if there is no God in Lateran, then this "cannot" will be the answer given to him by millions of people in the city of Lateran!

In this case, I would rather have God?

In this way, [Law] and [God] actually gave his heart that had lost faith a different hope?

This is really...

"Then can't people do something to help others?"

Andorn's face was a little gray, and his voice was a little hoarse. Seeing this, Ernst smiled bitterly and stood up, patting the shoulder of the rare idealist in front of him who was the first person he had met on Terra to ask him a question.

"of course can."

"Don't forget, this is just a theory. Mr. Andone, don't be disappointed with reality because of a theory."

“Reality is both much more complicated and much simpler than theory.”

Ernst reiterates his own statements one by one:

"In reality, some people in Yan State like to have beautiful beards, but when marching to war, there are also generals who take the initiative to cut their beards to boost the morale of the soldiers and show their determination."

"In reality, people don't really have nothing. A mother is willing to risk her arms and limbs being shattered to catch a child falling from a tall building in exchange for her life."

"In reality, there are many firefighters, riflemen, and garrisons who are willing to sacrifice their lives to save strangers in times of crisis."

"In reality, Ursus, Yan, Victoria, Leitania, and the other countries on the earth all have fortress cities on their borders and in the extreme north and south. When war comes and crises break out, they are all prepared to exchange the lives of one city for the evacuation time of ten cities."

"In reality, even this man-eating land, when faced with the threats from the Burning Winds, the Infi Icefields, and the vast ocean, aren't there countries like Sami, Ursus, Yan, and Iberia standing in the front line?"

He paused, and looking at Andorn's eyes gradually regaining their brilliance, he felt relieved:

"Ideals are ideals. No matter how great an ideal is, it needs to be put into practice in reality. Otherwise, it will just be empty talk and daydreaming. There is nothing wrong with striving for equal status between Liberia and Sakota, but there are many ways to do it. Riots, attacks, kidnappings, killing, killing, killing, killing, killing, killing is one way. Dialogue, negotiation, consultation, and orderly protest marches are another way."

“Helping others is not about cutting a piece of your cake and giving it to others, but about teaching others how to steam cakes.”

"I'm not really so stingy. I stood up to advise the dukes to evacuate the citizens of Londinium, not to cut off Kjerag's territory and resources to support these people. And the method is not that clever, it's just that no one has thought of it before, or they thought of it but were unwilling to do it."

"Is what you want to pursue more difficult than this?"

Andorn nodded in understanding. He took a step back, bowed slightly to Ernst and said, "Thank you for your advice."

He suddenly felt that the Pathfinders should not continue as a simple organization that huddles together for warmth, or go in the direction of the KB organization that spreads rumors in Lateran and destabilizes society.

He was just a "pioneer" in name only, but he didn't really fulfill the obligations of a leader. Why couldn't he do what Mr. Ernst did, not just question, but try his best to change? Instead of sacrificing himself, he united others? Not only destroy the old order, but also, while destroying it, create a new order that everyone can accept and is willing to accept?

Lateran may not be the paradise he wanted, but it is the paradise in the hearts of many people. Destroying it will not bring him any recognition or friends, but will instead attract hatred and enemies.

Therefore, what he had to do was to build a new heaven, a real [heaven on earth] that was truly in line with the Lateran doctrine, and even surpassed the Lateran doctrine!

To establish a society that can be governed well even if one does not spend a penny, a society that can develop freely without anyone being sacrificed, a society that achieves equality with one's own hands rather than with lip service, this is the real goal that the Pathfinder organization should achieve.

This is the world that the illusory God hopes for, this is the true liberation! This is the true gospel! This is the true will of God, which is deeper than the law!

He got it!

When he stood up again, his face was full of energy, as if he had countless new ideas and plans to implement. But before that, he took a deep breath, suppressed all his excitement, and solemnly asked Ernst:

"Mr. Ernst, I have one last request."

Ernst, who didn't know what this person had realized, was a little confused by his Sakota-like changeable mood, but he still nodded:

"you say?"

Andorn said solemnly:

"Can you introduce me to a meeting with the Pope?"

Evangelista XI, Pope of the Lateran, holder of the Lateran secrets.

Although Andoin no longer wanted to "sacrifice" Lateran and spread blessings to the poor places on earth, he still hoped to get that answer.

Why is Lateran different, why is Sakota different?

And a new question - even if the paths are different, can Rutlan become his partner on the road to realizing this grand ideal, just like Kjerag?

Ernst:? When did I become your partner?

Sakota, you are very outgoing, right?