War on Ignorance

====The Border Forest, nearish to Radogast, 0 DSTR====

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bother you with all of that. Please, forget about what I just said..."

Ceriden frowned. Gareth had been forced to suppress his thoughts and emotions for so long that now he seemed to believe that expressing himself was wrong. Ceriden found that to be rather sad.

"What are you apologizing for, Gareth? I asked you what was troubling you, and you told me. I actually appreciate you being so open, because now I am better equipped to help you. You are no longer a slave, friend, so you are welcome to express your thoughts and feelings. You have a voice now, Gareth. Let it be heard. If others judge you when you share those thoughts, shame on them."

Part of Ceriden wasn't so sure that empowering Gareth was such a good idea. If the vampire wanted to exploitable, Ceriden could certainly capitalize on that. Still, Ceriden had envisioned Gareth being his partner, not his servant, and the other part of him wanted to make that dream a reality.

Ceriden took a breath. He was not going to use Gareth. He was going to help the man, and if he wanted to help Ceriden in return, the help would certainly be appreciated.

But not expected.

Too many people had used Gareth for their own selfish gains. Ceriden was not going to add his name to that list.

"Tell you what, Gareth, while we walk, I'm going to teach you how to complain. I'll start by bemoaning what I hate about the world we live in, then it will be your turn to say what you dislike about something."

Ceriden took another breath as the continued walking. After a few moments Ceriden said, "I hate ignorance, especially those who perpetuate the spread of ignorance. I understand that it is difficult to learn everything there is to know about the world we live in, but it is our job as sentient, thinking creatures to learn more about this world so that we can make better decisions. Truly, I believe that ignorance is the root of all evil, for all poor and wicked decisions are made without the awareness of what the full extent of the consequences will be. Only by knowing more about the ways of the world and understanding how everything works can we get closer to comprehending the full impact of things we and others do. This is why decieving and blinding others is sowing the seeds of our own destruction, for without correct knowledge, we cannot make the wisest decisions."

"Unfortunately, deception is a must, because we are governed by selfish, ignorant people, people too prideful to see past the own small worldview. People like Adisla Styliane that refuse to learn or try to understand other people and other worlds. People like her have to be lied to, because they cannot be taught. It is sad that our world is governed by the unteachable, who, in turn, spread their false beliefs to others. A knowledgeable person would understand that people like you don't want to be monsters, that you are willing to abide by their laws as long as their legal framework provides you the means to survive and enjoy life. But because our overlords are fools, they won't even consider giving you that chance, instead arbitrarily seeking your destruction simply because you need to drink blood to survive. That you can not be a legal resident of any nearby civilization pisses me off. That we have to fight for your survival pisses me off, but fighting this war against ignorance is a war I am willing to fight, because I believe that the unteachable can be bested, and eventually, we can find you a home in a land that has been cleansed of those too foolish to rule us."

Ceriden sighed. He'd gotten on quite a tangent there, but putting some words to his thoughts and feelings had actually felt quite good, which really was the whole point of this exercise. "So what do you hate? And don't hold back, I have no right to judge."