On the Causes of Truth, Virtue, and Enlightenment

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[SIZE="5"]On the Causes of Truth, Virtue, and Enlightenment[/SIZE]

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The page following the title is furnished with a drawing of the side of a halfling's face looking off to the left. There is a small smile on his face, and his head is tilted slightly upward. Beneath the head in bold lettering the words William Bell University appear.

I have been approached frequently in the past with suggestions that I exercise discretion in the things I have learned, and that certain facts are far too dangerous to be in possession of the common man.  Tanith was the first to approach me directly with such arguments, but he was not to be the last.  While I will grant that knowledge is a powerful force and several of the things I know could potentially be used for ill, I honestly believe that I have always worked towards a better society no matter how much stock every newcomer to this place puts into their little secrets.  Many people look at what I do and think I am a fool: that I serve Oghma blindly and simply spread what I know without consideration.  Some might go as far as to think I fear I will one day lose the approval of my god, perhaps pushing me to speak when common sense would encourage otherwise.  Neither of these is the case.  I have considered my actions and their consequences fully and whatever powers I am granted by the All-Knowing are quite honestly irrelevant in comparison to what I intend by so doing.

I shall provide my reasoning in brief.  There are powers here, Prisoners as they are more often referred to, that have been locked away by and large since the time of the Netherese, and they are quite set on obtaining their freedom.  While the methods they employ and various stratagems all differ in some regards, the way their goals will ultimately be facilitated is by assistance from beings without such restrictions; namely, adventurers and opportunists from our own colony.  I learned of these beings after they contacted others and the rumors of their visitations and requests circulated, and I have seen what brigands like de Olid would do to see to their freedom at petty personal gain.  The sheer number of people in cahoots with these beings is, quite frankly, obnoxious.  These villains are only replaced by more of the same as they are cut down, the only saving grace of the situation being the lot of them are so cutthroat none of them can manage the feat before they’ve been killed.  Chuckle if you like reader.  I’d laugh as well if I hadn’t survived this mess for so long and been made bitter for it.  The reason that this is important for you to understand is that the Prisoners will continue to make contact with people who would have not likely found their existence in the first place; thugs, degenerate cultists of deranged gods, and men entirely devoid of compassion and sympathy.  Were I to be silenced this day, everything I had written burned, and my memory suppressed as much as other interesting historical facts pertinent to these islands, the efforts of the Prisoners would not be hindered in the slightest.  Knowledge in and of itself can only be used for ill against the ignorant; when all share what they know, they stand as equals.

To this end, I believe we should see to the cause of Truth.  Truth seems a simple concept, and it is, but when people succumb to petty vice and sin of any sort Truth becomes their enemy.  They attempt to hide what they have done, make secret of petty things, and because these things are so petty they go unnoticed.  Suddenly, the opinions of others matter less because one gains a sense that they can exploit others thanks to there being no need for Truth.  The cycle goes on until at last they err, for perfection is the realm of the gods and them alone, and Truth sheds light on what they have done for all who care to see.  Here is where the fall comes and Truth’s reckoning is had, but because people should have a chance to redeem themselves and Truth’s coming need be felt, such reckonings must be few and far between whether we wish it or no.  In this time in between, where evil might frolic in the summer of its delight, good people are made to suffer injustice.  Even those of noble intent fear what comes, and thus, they rely on secret and subterfuge.  Men cease to grow because they struggle to survive within the web of lies and conspiracies they’ve built for themselves.

All is not without hope, however.  Truth can only do so much of its own accord, but with the help of even a few people, it will take root and blossom.  Every fact discovered, every secret made plain, every plot foiled is a victory for Truth, and as it matures evil will wane, cower, and die before it.  Spread all you know freely as Oghma would have it and make light of these things.  After all, how will the villain succeed when all see him and his scheme for what they are?  He would need the help of all gods profane to accomplish any small triumph by himself, and in the end others will look at the pointlessness of the act along with all the effort it took, and merely shake their head.  This is the world you can live in if you choose to take the steps necessary to build it.  Toril will not be kind to the first who seek to change it, but changed it can be, even if only by the efforts of one in the beginning.

Once Truth is established and evil is in great decline, the next cause that should be pursued is that of Virtue.  Truth makes evil plain, and thus less difficult to foil, but evil still exists nonetheless.  Virtue in itself has been discussed at length in other texts, but to make the matter simpler for the reader, Virtue is the act of making all people as equals.  To the unimaginative this seems a prescription for anarchy, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Governance is necessary until the coming of Virtue for people largely do not possess the capacity for self-governance as they are consumed by self-destructive impulses.  Once desires like Greed, Sloth, and Wrath (to name a few) are controlled within the individual, the need for a governing body is no longer required and even contradictory to their ultimate growth.  Imagine a mother taking care of a child of ten as if it were an infant, feeding it by breast and still cleaning it up when it messed it’s diaper.  When Virtue is established the individual is not free to do as he would please by any means, but rather, he is ruled by himself.  Understanding the concept of being ruled by oneself is key to the coming of Virtue.

Virtue having been established, now Enlightenment can be had.  You see, Truth and Virtue only remove the major obstacles keeping us from achieving this goal: the evils other visit upon us and the ones we visit upon ourselves.  Enlightenment is different from the previous two causes in that it is not a step to be completed, but rather, a journey towards everlasting growth.  Free to read, write, speak, and ultimately think as we please without fear of repercussion, we will no longer be the salt-choked weeds found on our own shores but the majestic trees seeking nothing short of the heavens.

Asdon Garlin, Lorekeeper of Oghma and Founder of William Bell University