Heart and soul

[jianai]

[1]
[In order to get better as a pilot and not wreck a mobile suit each time they're piloting, Ren is doing some good old fashioned physical exercise.]

And one, and two...

[Running laps around Alhambra Base - with a lack of haste that'd cause any drill sergeant worth their salt to pop a vein or a dozen. But what's this - 15, 20, 30 laps around the base done, and Ren isn't even sweaty yet.

Comment? Or maybe join in, if you dare?]

[2]
[Some time after the exercise, but directed at whomever seems willing to listen.]

Do you believe in the afterlife?

Comments

[abugslife]

And when did the first souls come from in this scenario?

[jianai]

Perhaps they were created by God. Or maybe the universe is cyclical and they were there when it ended and began anew.

[abugslife]

So we are entering the territory of time travel now.

I have seen a lot of death in my life. A substantial percentage of it, I caused myself. Perhaps knowing that all of these souls go somewhere after death would offer solace... But I have no way to know for certain. And whatever happens after death cannot influence the decisions I make in life.

[jianai]

That's true, we cannot know for certain. We can only believe - but that's partially the beauty of it. Our uncertainity means no belief is more true than the other.

I believe in souls, and the afterlife for those who have them.

[abugslife]

I believe an Earthling philosopher said something like this:
"Whatever awaits us after death, even if it is nothingness, we will accept calmly, for it will be the normal state of being for us at that point."

Have you heard anyone express this viewpoint before?

[jianai]

Well. Not to brag, but there is me!

I will accept calmly the nothingness that awaits me after death.

[abugslife]

I thought you are certain that either afterlife or reincarnation exists.

[jianai]

For people who have souls, yes.

I do not.

[abugslife]

What makes you think that?

[jianai]

You could say that it is an issue with how one was created. Naturally born organisms have souls. Even if you are a clone, your DNA had to come from somewhere. On the other hand, I am fully artificial. Does a computer have a soul? I don't think it does. It is the same for me, only instead of being mechanical, I am made from flesh and blood.

Alternatively, you could say that my kin was made to be soulless on purpose. And that's the truth, actually.

[abugslife]

If what you are saying is true, then your creators must have been very cold and cruel people. What purpose would creating intentionally soulless being accomplish?

[jianai]

It's necessary for my psychic powers to work the way they do. By blending with the world, I can achieve a state of immortality... or something similar, like that.

A soul would naturally reject such a connection. So I couldn't have had one.

[abugslife]

I see. Whoever created you possessed great knowledge about the practical application of such metaphysical concepts.

What about Optimus Prime and his people, and major Kagura. Do they possess souls?

[jianai]

Of course.

Optimus's race has evolved naturally, even if it is mechanical. As for the major, she is convinced that she has a soul, and who am I to disagree?

[abugslife]

I think you might be putting too much importance on whether someone was created "naturally" or not. If we somehow had the ability to mechanically assemble a human, biologically identical to one that was born, and then give them life, I doubt there would be any difference.

Also, there are still clones to consider.

[jianai]

I do not have full understanding of all of this, nuances and distinctions. I'm sorry, knowledge that was taught to me while I was still in the tank was rather limited.

I only know that I was deliberately and purposefully made soulless. That one part I can be sure of.

[abugslife]

I do not know if souls exist. I do not know if an afterlife exists. There is only one way to find out for certain, and I am not eager to follow it just yet.

I am almost certain I am going to die violently on a battlefield. Whatever might await us after death, I will not enter it peacefully.

[jianai]

That's a shame. Your life was a long and violent one, wasn't it Hetepheres?

I believe that in the end, you deserve a peaceful departure.

[abugslife]

No. It is alright.

I have chosen the path of a warrior so others will not have to.

[jianai]

That is sacrificing yourself in a way, isn't it?

[abugslife]

For a very wide definition of sacrifice.

[jianai]

Would you follow a soldier's life if you didn't have to? If no vision of conflict loomed above our heads?

[abugslife]

That is an unrealistic scenario. A vision of conflict always looms above our heads, even in times of peace. Soldiers are always needed, just in case.

[jianai]

I hope a day comes when that's no longer unrealistic. Nothing would make me happier than the vision of a world free of conflict and violence.

[abugslife]

Peace is a realistic goal. It is what I am fighting for.

But it is never eternal.