Dilemma Between Rights and Ethics

For the Seven Shapes, trying at last to build a society that was fair for everyone was no simple task.

Whether it was the inertia of a system established over centuries, or the inertia of the attitudes of the individuals who composed it, sometimes reluctant toward changes that came too suddenly, they had to balance past and future, rights and ethics.

But one thing seemed obvious: rights without responsibilities or ethics become abuses of freedom.

For the civilization of the Espers, the creatures of Esperia who had succeeded in developing the use of magic, the moment was crucial.

Magic had given them wealth and power over the world around them, granting them the ability to reshape landscapes. But it came at a cost, one that was now understood.

Each use of magic consumed a little of the Aether, the life source of the planet.
Little by little, the consequences were becoming more and more visible.

And yet, the right to use magic had never been restricted.

“A right is a right,” thought some Espers, who did not want to lose a right they believed was theirs.

But when a right goes against ethics, is it not a right that should be reconsidered?

History has shown that many rights were granted without thinking about their consequences, while ethical questions were pushed aside.

The use of magic was a right, but that right had forever altered the planet’s ecosystem, while holding before future generations the vision of a sad and tragic future.

The inertia of the system and the dependence on magic had given rise to a dilemma between rights and ethics

Want to share?


Comments

Leave a Reply


Our latest tales

  • Through our eyes

    Through our eyes

    We tend to reproduce what we see, and we tend to want what we are shown. This sounds obvious, but it’s precisely why marketing works so well: the more you are presented with a product, the more unconsciously familiar it becomes—and eventually, you’ll want it for yourself. What if, instead, society promoted a lifestyle that…

    Read more

  • Resources

    Resources

    On Esperia, the laws of physics were very different from those we know on Earth. This allowed the Espers to use magical powers. But they were also deeply aware of the land they lived in, and the natural presence of the 7 Shapes always reminded them that they needed to live in balance with the…

    Read more

  • A Life Ticket

    A Life Ticket

    For any human being reading these lines, you have been given a life ticket—one you couldn’t refuse. You own this ticket, and you alone. How you choose to use it is entirely up to you. The kind of ticket you received may seem quite random: you may have been born into a wealthy family in…

    Read more

  • Failures

    Failures

    There is a certain irony in how the human brain works: for us to learn and grow, we also need to fail personally. Babies do it naturally when trying to grab objects, sit up, or learn how to walk: they try, fail, try again, fail again… When this was understood by the Espers on Esperia,…

    Read more

  • Climbing

    Climbing

    Cha Cha liked studying human civilization and the various inventions humans had created—especially sports. One of them in particular captured his attention: climbing. He saw in it a philosophy of life: “You get to battle with yourself. You fail a lot, but try again a lot, and eventually succeed—or not. Sometimes what you lack is…

    Read more

  • Your Doors

    Your Doors

    We can be taught many things. But others can only bring us to the doors—we must open them with our own hands. Opening those doors will be up to you. And you alone. Some doors are harder to open. Others you won’t even know exist—until you meet new people or live new experiences. Some doors…

    Read more

  • Empathy

    Empathy

    What truly defines us as humans? What sets us apart from other species? Not our physical strength, nor our intelligence. It is our social abilities—our capacity to form groups of many individuals—that have led the human species to eventually dominate the Earth. Empathy is our ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It…

    Read more

  • Language

    Language

    One of the most underrated “skills” to learn is language. For those lucky enough to have had access to education, the use of language in all its forms—be it speaking, reading, or writing—may seem obvious and trivial. But it isn’t trivial at all. Mastering a language is one of the key skills to develop. Why?…

    Read more