"Selfish?" Raphael laughed, a short sound. "Hardly. I do not grieve over any loss of mine; I do so because I hate to see people in pain. They hurt, and as they do so do I. I do what I can, but even that is not enough and any pain I feel comes from the knowledge that they hurt. My burden, if you will, is empathy. As for general love - you speak of it so disdainfully, but why should there be those I do not care for, if all suffer? Why should I withold caritas from any human? Do you think there are those more 'deserving,' who should be loved more while others be ignored? How utterly cruel."
He stood his ground but wondered if he should set the dog down. Frankie felt heavy in his arms.
"Of course they die; nothing can avert death. And the consequences for not letting people go can be terrible. But why deny the pain one feels? Perhaps such things go hand in hand; but I still have a right to my emotions towards the other side.
And I know that people must make their own decisions; that is why I do not, cannot help. But that doesn't make it any easier. And I am fully aware that I am not unique. This is why I rarely speak of it; better to simply move forward. But why is that not a challenge? Because other people have felt it? That makes it less of one, to you somehow? And what do you think makes you so very unique? You aren't 'special' either."
He smiled sardonically.
"What do I plan to do? Move on, like I have for the past few millennia, abate what suffering I can and do my hardest to undermine the likes of most of the beings in this building. My solace is Heaven and the Presence and I don't need to do anything else to cope.
Save your lectures, demon, for someone who would be so foolish as to heed you."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-01-02 10:59 am (UTC)He stood his ground but wondered if he should set the dog down. Frankie felt heavy in his arms.
"Of course they die; nothing can avert death. And the consequences for not letting people go can be terrible. But why deny the pain one feels? Perhaps such things go hand in hand; but I still have a right to my emotions towards the other side.
And I know that people must make their own decisions; that is why I do not, cannot help. But that doesn't make it any easier. And I am fully aware that I am not unique. This is why I rarely speak of it; better to simply move forward. But why is that not a challenge? Because other people have felt it? That makes it less of one, to you somehow? And what do you think makes you so very unique? You aren't 'special' either."
He smiled sardonically.
"What do I plan to do? Move on, like I have for the past few millennia, abate what suffering I can and do my hardest to undermine the likes of most of the beings in this building. My solace is Heaven and the Presence and I don't need to do anything else to cope.
Save your lectures, demon, for someone who would be so foolish as to heed you."