Today we’ll try to make sense of a quote from the first book of my favorite fantasy saga, The Black Company, by Glen Cook.
Here’s the full paragraph from which the statement that caught my interest was taken:
“When I think about my comrades’ characters, I often wish I had one small talent — the ability to look into their souls and tear away the veil covering the darkness and light that drives them. But after a quick glance into the jungle of my own soul, I thank the heavens that I can’t do that. Someone who barely survives the battle with himself has no right to dig around in other people’s souls.”
These musings belong to a character from the saga named Croaker, and they’re prompted by his genuine interest in his mysterious new friend Raven, about whose past he knows almost nothing. This man earns his respect and trust through his charisma, his actions, and his way of thinking.
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And this is despite the fact that they met relatively recently, and Croaker knew practically nothing about his new companion’s probably difficult but probably eventful past.
For Croaker, being a curious and inquisitive person, Raven sparked genuine interest in him: what guides Raven when making decisions, what drives him in life, what secrets he keeps, and why he guards the secrets of his past so fiercely.
All of this troubles Croaker.
And then, as he muses about how great it would be to be able to peek behind the curtain of someone’s inner world and learn all the sacred secrets of his comrades, he runs into the dilemma of honesty.
Reflecting on himself and his own nature, his own secrets and fears, he comes to the conclusion that he has no moral right to pry into someone else’s soul if his own harbors incurable flaws.
In other words, if you can’t overcome your own inner demons, taking on the judgment and analysis of someone else’s is simply pointless and dishonest.
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts. Have a good day 😉
