The Wizard: Philosophy Forums

Philosophy Forums » Ethics » The Wizard » The Wizard

Page: 1 2 3 4 5

The Wizard

ben_tam64
An inquisitive individual

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Mar 01, 2009

Total Topics: 15
Total Posts: 63

Posted 10/11/09 - 10:52 PM: Subject: The Wizard: A short story on moral duty and the needs of others	#1
The Wizard came upon the village by chance. For so miraculously did nature conspire to meander the Wizard's wanderings to this very village. Enduring storms and braving the abysses of rock and cliff, the Wandering Wizard arrived at our village on a very desolate morning. Though he was the first outsider to have appeared all Winter, his arrival went unnoticed as he strolled steadily into the center of the withering village. The wizard saw the people of the village. He saw that they were ravaged by despair, hopelessness, and starvation. Maybe that the village leader had neglected to ration out enough food or perhaps it was a simply bad harvest. But it could not be the latter, the seasons have been generous. Wizard was unfazed by this. Accustomed to hardship, hunger, and death, Wizard had learned long ago that this was life in a harsh and unforgiving reality. A fleeting thought arose: he could help these people in need simply by summoning with magic the food they need to survive. But what would be the point? They would just starve again when he left. Feeding them now would just prolong their suffering he reminded himself sternly. Such was life he thought again grimly. Having exhausted the last of their precious stock too early in the winter and by having no means to produce food, starvation was inevitable. The people of the village resigned their will to live as day by day, their cherished ones passed and winter grew ever colder. And by the time the winter days started lengthening in anticipation of coming spring, the people of the village had long given up hope on seeing the bloom of spring again. Their defeated eyes gazing in terror at the imminence of their death. Wizard never cared to stay. The sight of a village succumbing to starvation arose sorrow in the heart of the Wizard. And painfully, he began to leave. But this is where the most miraculous part of our tale comes to pass, for it so happened that on his way out, Wizard came upon a young woman unlike any other he had seen. Straining with the heavy jugs of water suspended tightly across her shoulders, she radiated a determination so fierce it encompassed her very essence. She was, unlike any other in her village, determined to live. Malnourished and weak she was exhausted, but fighting her fatigue she had managed to reach her destination. Shrugging the heavy jugs, she proceeded to bring a jug into a shelter nearby, and wizard heard a mutter of hoarse thanks. He watched then as she dutifully brought jugs to three shelters. Following, he watched as she humbly brought water to the lips of dieing thirsty. And as he watched, overwhelming emotions of admiration, respect, and love for this girl overflowed him completely. And so, Wizard chose to stay. He could not bare to see the girl push herself in vain hopes of reviving her dieing village. She was too weak to save her people, but he was not. Determined in his sudden love for the girl, he made the land beneath them fertile with nutrients to grow crops that will feed the people copiously in the years to come. And when he was satisfied with the soil, he summoned forth abundances of fine grain, rich meat, and fragrant fruits of every kind for the people of the village to feast on. On that day, the people of the village rejoiced and honored the Wizard. The people of the village would never go hungry anymore as long as he was there. The love between the wizard and girl flourished and by the budding of spring, they had sworn their vows of love. And so, Wizard was happy. The requests of his wife were rare and concerned never herself, but only the well being of her people. And the seasons pass, the people of the village were taken care of. The harsh reality of winter and hunger were so distant a memory to the people of the village. They have never had to spend a day thinking about how or where they were going to get food since Wizard arrived. Wizard would, through his love for his wife, summon forth abundances of food to sustain her people. But this was not always what the Wizard's Wife wanted. It vexed her to see Wizard do so many favors upon her request. But when the people of her village came to her with their needs of hunger, she could not bear to see them suffer. And when they came to her pleading, she would not turn them away. As this went on however, a peculiar thing was starting to happen. At first they were marveled and awed by magic, and they praised the wizard highly. But through the years the villagers grew accustomed to the gifts of the Wizard. Though the Wizard sustained the villagers with his magic, the people seemed to avoid the Wizard personally. They would throw great feasts in his honor, but there was rarely friendship nor affection shown to Wizard by the people. Rather, an odd sense of fear tainted the air. Among themselves, away from the ears of Wizard, they would scornfully speak of how Wizard is actually controlling them with his powers in their helplessness. But when Wizard would summon great stores of food for the people to feast on, the people acted as it was to be expected. As if by virtue of their need, they were assured the Wizard's help. When the villagers learned that the girl was the way to wizard's heart. They learned to view the girl as a tool to the wizard's powers. And as a result, the Wizard's Wife found herself slowly isolated from her people as they steadily grew dependent on her. Though she was highly regarded throughout the village, she could not help noticing that it was getting harder to have personal connections and relationships with the people of the village as she once was so easily able to. She had the feeling that there was something amiss in these people when they spoke with her, as if they were hiding or avoiding something. But she dismissed these thoughts for she could not find out what it was. She had told them to toil the land and grow crops for themselves, but it seemed that their requests were getting more and more frequent. When ever she tried to refuse their pleas, they would call upon their need, and that they would go hungry if she did not ask Wizard to help. Implied in every request of theirs was the notion that she had the moral obligation, as a person with power over Wizard, to do whatever she can to make sure her people do not starve. And when she still refused in hopes that they would farm, they would ever more stress their helplessness, hungry, and need. For they had learned that if they acted so, eventually the girl they knew so well, would succumb to guilt and help. But this time was different. You see, for the girl had hardened her resolve and had decided she could no longer allow her people to become dependent on her and Wizard. She refused, and refused, and refused. And the people were outraged! They spoke of her wickedness in to allowing them to go hungry again. They scorned her for her selfishness when she gets to live comfortably with Wizard. They spoke of how their families would starve while she got to go on living fed and warm up with Wizard. And they started talking among themselves. Where will we get food from now? How will we survive? They thought in dismay of the famine and starvation that they once knew, and they were petrified. But as a panic began to arose among the people, a hoarse voice rose among the hysteria. He spoke of the neighboring village, of their wealth and their fortune. He spoke of how unfair it was that they should always have to suffer and be dependent, while that village was always well off, prosperous, able to sustain itself. And as he spoke, depravity grew in the hearts of the villagers until they were overwhelmed by wicked desires of pillage, rape, and war. In all their squabbling, they never spoke once of toiling the land. The girl stared at her people, fixated with horror. What have they become? How did it become this way? She condemned them. She told them they were wrong and what they planned to do was evil. She tried to run to get the Wizard to stop them. The blood lusted villagers surrounded her and without mercy nor hesitation, killed the one who had lived for them. When the people of the village saw what they had done, they again shrieked in horror. They had killed the wizard's wife! Wizard was sure to destroy them now! Panic again ensued, and as quickly as it began, it ended. For the man with the hoarse voice had come up with a most ingenious plan. They would go to the wizard with the body of the girl, but they would deceive Wizard into thinking that it was the people of the neighboring tribe who killed her. Therefore, Wizard in his anger would slay the other village for them. Besides they were too few and small to successfully invade the other village. And when he finished speaking, they had already convinced themselves that it was a good plan. Oh the sorrow Wizard felt, oh the pain. On that day, Wizard lost the one he valued most in this world. On that day, Wizard wept and wept. He listened to the villagers explain what had happened, and he wept even more. The villagers said that in their gratitude and love for all that she has done for them in her kindness, they would all risk their lives to exact justice on the wicked village who had killed her. The wicked must pay for their actions they said. Wizard listened as they spoke of war and their righteousness for justice, but when Wizard spoke, their atrocious plan fell apart. Wizard in all his sorrow was not a vengeful man. He knew that no matter what he did, he would never bring back the one he loved. Destroying the lives of the men, women, and children in the other village in the name of revenge would be aimless cruelty. But the people would not listen, they tried to pursued the wizard by telling him that they must invade that village. If not, they will continue to be attacked by them in the future. Attacking first, therefore, would be for the sake of protection they said. He settled in their village, they reminded him, so he has the obligation to protect it. They reminded him of how she was taken from him. They said that they needed his help, and that if he has any sense of morality, he would help them in this time of need. They pleaded as they tried to evoke guilt in the Wizard's heart, but Wizard was too wise for that. And so, Wizard spoke: “When I arrived, I had found you in a state of sorry desperation. I had never cared to stay. But I did when I saw my love. I knew I had to stay with her. Seeing her exhaust her precious body to sustain you, I could not help but alleviate her burden by feeding you all. Only because I valued her happiness, did I summon magic for you. I would never have thought about you people other wise. You prescribe to me a moral obligation to help you in your time of need? Well let me tell you, 'moral obligation' is a contradiction. For one's morality is a measure of one's values, and one's values are chosen and not prescribed. I valued the life of my wife, but I do not value yours. Do not try to say I do, Because I don't. You ask me for help, but I have never seen you lift a finger to help yourself since I have been here. Did you forget that I have made the land more fertile then any other? Or did you choose to ignore my wife when she tried to get you to assume responsibility for your own lives and fate. She tried to teach you to help yourself and not depend of others to satisfy your needs. And that is a lesson you will have to learn if you wish to go on existing. For I will not stay and your way of life is near it's end. You manipulated her morality, feeding off her guilt to sustain your existence. You will perish unless you change your parasitic ways, that is what she was unable to teach you. Do not try to prescribe to me some implicit guilt if you happen to be attacked, I have no responsibility or moral obligation to you. Only to myself and my values. Since everything I ever valued here has been taken from me, I have no reason to stay.” Staring at a crowd of lifeless frightened eyes, the hardened Wizard walked through the people with cold heartbroken eyes, and left the village he wandered into by chance once so long ago on one very desolate morning. Edited by ben_tam64 on 10/14/09 - 12:04 AM

James S Saint
Graduate

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Oct 14, 2009

Total Topics: 10
Total Posts: 227

Posted 10/14/09 - 01:30 AM:	#2
A well written story. But I have to say that the Wizard was really only half wise.

ethicist
Initiate

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Oct 10, 2009
Location: London

Total Topics: 1
Total Posts: 14

Posted 10/17/09 - 06:20 AM:	#3
Yes, I enjoyed the story too. But if what the previous poster meant by 'half wise' is that Wizard should have stuck around at the beginning, then I agree Wizard isn't as exemplary a person as the story makes him out to be.

notquitethere
Professor

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Location: Reading - England

Total Topics: 41
Total Posts: 970

Posted 10/18/09 - 08:08 AM:	#4
What is unclear in the story is how easily the wizard is able to help the villagers. He allows them to become dependant on his help while knowing that he isn't always going to be able to help them. He should probably stopped at making the fields fertile and creating a store of seeds. If he had the means to help whole generations of villagers in this way, he probably should have done this and kept going.
"Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise." - The Duchess

James S Saint
Graduate

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Oct 14, 2009

Total Topics: 10
Total Posts: 227

Posted 10/18/09 - 04:03 PM:	#5
By not attending to the real situation, the Wizard actually caused the death of the woman.

Cadrache
Tenured Poster

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Dec 09, 2006
Location: AB, Canada

Total Topics: 104
Total Posts: 2644

Posted 10/19/09 - 05:41 PM:	#6
Wizard never cared to stay. At the village? Or at the location where his love wasn't? We so assume that his abilities are like ours simply because he has something greater. Perhaps he could not teach the villagers to begin with? Why would the wizard stay even when his wife failed to teach him how to sow seeds?
"...There was a writer who asked why it was that when we find positive experiences we say that only the physical facts are real, but in negative experiences we believe that reality is subjective. He made an example of those who say that in birth only the pain is real, the joy a subjective point of view, but that in death it is the emotional loss that is the reality." - Tony Ballantyne, Recursion. _____________________________________________ Truth is want. - The internal state of matters. Truth is Need. - The external state of affairs.

ben_tam64
An inquisitive individual

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Mar 01, 2009

Total Topics: 15
Total Posts: 63

Posted 10/19/09 - 07:38 PM:	#7
notquitethere wrote: What is unclear in the story is how easily the wizard is able to help the villagers. He allows them to become dependant on his help while knowing that he isn't always going to be able to help them. He should probably stopped at making the fields fertile and creating a store of seeds. If he had the means to help whole generations of villagers in this way, he probably should have done this and kept going. In the eyes of Wizard, he uses his powers for the sake of his wife's happiness, which he values. If the villagers choose to become dependant on Wizard's powers, it is not Wizard's fault. You cannot blame the Wizard for the neglect of the villagers to assume self responsibility and sustain themselves. In fact, by making the land fertile and feeding the people, he saved them from starvation and ensured the possibility of a sustainable village. If someone shares with you some bus change, would you scorn him for not giving you his whole wallet? ethicist wrote: Wizard should have stuck around at the beginning...I agree Wizard isn't as exemplary a person as the story makes him out to be. The moral of my story is to live for yourself, and in accordance with the things that you value. That it is natural to be rationally self interested. It is irrational to live to satisfy the needs or desires of others, though they may damn you evil and selfish. True intergrity is the ability to act in accordance with what one feels, and not what anyone else demands. James S Saint wrote: By not attending to the real situation, the Wizard actually caused the death of the woman. What are you talking about. She was dieing to begin with. Cadrache wrote: Wizard never cared to stay. At the village? Or at the location where his love wasn't? We so assume that his abilities are like ours simply because he has something greater. Perhaps he could not teach the villagers to begin with? Wizard, as any man in love, wants to be close with the one he loves:Wifey. And since Wife was a woman of the village, Wizard stayed at a Village he would not have otherwise. What do you mean by assume that his abilities are like ours simply because he has something greater? Perhaps rephrasing it would make it clearer. Perhaps he could not have taught the villagers, but death is the ultimate lesson. Those who assume the responsibilty to survive, will survive. Those who shun the responsibilty of thier own lives, are always dependant on the strenghts of others to see them safely through the night. And when there is no one willing to carry the weight of the irrational, they will perish.

Cadrache
Tenured Poster

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Dec 09, 2006
Location: AB, Canada

Total Topics: 104
Total Posts: 2644

Posted 10/19/09 - 07:55 PM:	#8
Simple "Greater then Thou" social assumptions. One version will claim the Wizard as "all powerful" on one account. Simply because he can manipulate external matter. In this case - the actual results that 'the greater being' does is amplified perceptually. Like Mr. Magee. Everything else is associated by first person experience. If I went to a sad looking village I would feel this way for these reasons. My reasons are therefore the wizards reasons because we both decided to leave. If the wizard has a greater understanding from his own P.O.V. Then logically he should have a greater understanding or reasoning behind wanting to leave. He wept not for the village. He wept for the fleeting thought. Not all thoughts derive from internal analysis. The fleeting thought? Somebody was already helping the village. They should already be dead. The miracle? Fate happened to cross paths. Would anybody else except the wizard have realized the strength of the woman?
"...There was a writer who asked why it was that when we find positive experiences we say that only the physical facts are real, but in negative experiences we believe that reality is subjective. He made an example of those who say that in birth only the pain is real, the joy a subjective point of view, but that in death it is the emotional loss that is the reality." - Tony Ballantyne, Recursion. _____________________________________________ Truth is want. - The internal state of matters. Truth is Need. - The external state of affairs.

Mako
Assistant Professor

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Feb 15, 2006
Location: In transit, somewhere in Nanjing

Total Topics: 14
Total Posts: 314

Posted 10/20/09 - 02:57 AM:	#9
How fitting that this piece is of pseudophilosophy is presented in its natural format, fiction. Wizard indeed.
"To alcohol. The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." ~ Homer Simpson

ethicist
Initiate

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Oct 10, 2009
Location: London

Total Topics: 1
Total Posts: 14

Posted 10/20/09 - 03:07 AM:	#10
ben_tam64 wrote: The moral of my story is to live for yourself, and in accordance with the things that you value. That it is natural to be rationally self interested. It is irrational to live to satisfy the needs or desires of others, though they may damn you evil and selfish. True intergrity is the ability to act in accordance with what one feels, and not what anyone else demands. I see your point. However, it is still arguable that Wizard had a responsibility to stay at the village in the beginning because his self-interest could have included an altruistic commitment. The question is whether Wizard's own feelings (conscience) should have led him to act otherwise, and there are many I suspect who would answer in the positive. Edited by ethicist on 10/20/09 - 03:22 AM

Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Sorry, you don't have permission to post. Log in, or register if you haven't yet.