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"Well, we have a problem then, don't we?" said Director. "I mean, is slavery bad and mastership good? Doesn't that idea of mastership cut against the democratic grain?"
Professor frowned. "Yes, I quite see what you mean. The problem is compounded by the fact that bravery is good, to a point."
"What's beyond that point? Foolhardiness, brashness, overconfidence, egotism?"
"Yes, all of those."
"But are we saying that mastership, when the master behaves well, is good? While we say that slavery, no matter how the slave behaves, is bad?"
"Well, you know, the official story in this place is that there is neither master nor slave. But we both know that there are both masters and slaves by different names."
"So if you had children, what would you raise them to grow up to be?"
Professor puffed out his chest and said: "Neither. I would raise them to be neither master nor slave."
"How would you do that?"
"I would train them to be assertive on the one hand, and flexible and accommodating on the other."
"How would they know when to be assertive?"
"I would train them to be so with the brash."
"And to be flexible and accommodating with the slavish."
"Yes."
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Nick Pappas, pappasnick.typepad.com
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