13 - [Video/Action]

[winds_voice]

[Eley seems to be sitting near the site of his recently planted tree by the river today. With the journal held in front of him and perched on his lap, you can catch glimpses of the grassy bank behind him and perhaps a flash of colour from the hill in the distance. The sound of flowing water can also be heard from the nearby river.

The Spirit himself seems rather thoughtful again.]

As a deity in my world I am not unfamiliar with the idea that humans are always desiring one thing or another. People are always wishing, always hoping, and they often turn to me for a way to achieve that which they most want. They vary greatly... from a general desire for peace and health to something more specific, such as finding a partner or acquiring an item they have been wanting for some time. I have also experienced terrible greed firsthand... a greed that has severed good ties between nations and even threatened to destroy one in the process.

In the past I would not share these desires, but since I have steadily grown to feel more human since my stay here I am beginning to wonder what it is that I truly want... and what I might do to gain it.

Is there really any point to holding onto futile dreams? Longing for something that you are certain you cannot have? When does it become necessary to hold onto such a hope and when does it become a problem?

And I must ask... what is it that you desire most? More importantly, what would you do to attain it?

Comments

[mountain_sage]

Not all wishes are bad. It can't hurt to reward oneself every now and again. As for where to draw the line, I suppose that can vary from one person to another.

With Valega, we free ourselves from personal greed. And with this freedom, we need nothing else.

[winds_voice]

I suppose it would depend on the restraint of an individual. There are those are constantly long for more and are never satisfied... on the other hand there are those who are happy with not much at all. The tribes of Esperando never seemed particularly greedy providing their families were fed and well.

...is this perhaps something you could teach others? Or is it too... integral to your people?

[mountain_sage]

Exactly. Material wealth brings strife. We've no need of those things.

It is possible to teach this concept to others, but it certainly would not be easy. Part of their desires may have been shaped by the way they were raised. The lessons learned through one's childhood are not so easily forgotten. I would consider myself fortunate to have been raised as I have.

[winds_voice]

[Eley ponders this for a moment.]

What if you did not have a childhood? What if you were not 'raised', did not live alongside others and were therefore not tainted by such things? At least... not until recently.

I... feel as though I may find some benefit in your practices, the way things are now.

[mountain_sage]

Still, you have observed the humans long before you became one yourself, yes? And now, with your experiences in human form. What have you learned from that?

[winds_voice]

Yes, that is true. Though oftentimes their rituals may not have made much sense to someone like me, I have slowly begun to piece together the meaning of such events during my stay in Luceti. I know far more about their festivals and their feelings than I ever did before...

...still, perhaps not enough to feel truly satisfied. Though I cannot be certain if that is a more human desire than the desire of a Spirit. I have never had quite this strong a thirst to learn before.

[mountain_sage]

...Do you remember what sorts of desires you had as a Spirit?