Listening to Others and Listening to Yourself

The Espers were, all things considered, rather curious beings.

Their history, spanning several tens of thousands of years, had led them, not without difficulties, to control their planet, to the point of being capable of impacting its global ecosystem.

The discovery and use of magic had accelerated the evolution of their civilization, but they also made a paradox increasingly clear: listening, though at the very heart of the bonds that united them, was gradually disappearing.

Listening to others, first of all, as the notions of freedom and individualism took on an increasingly important place in society, sometimes putting an end to dialogue and to discussions that were nevertheless important.

For magic had already altered the global environment of their planet, and its consequences were beginning to become increasingly visible.

The other creatures of the planet, once numerous and diverse, were disappearing, the lush forests had been cleared, and glaciers throughout the world were beginning to melt.

Discussions about the future of their own species, while a new technology, both promising but above all potentially dangerous, was emerging, did not exist in the public sphere.

For perhaps even more important than listening to others, few were still capable of listening to themselves and hearing their inner voice, the voice of their Shadow…

A Shadow which, if left untamed, listens to the Shadow of their civilization as a whole…

Learning to listen to yourself is therefore also learning to see the world as it truly is.

Want to share?


Comments

Leave a Reply


Our latest tales

  • Finding Yourself Through Love

    Finding Yourself Through Love

    Does this title sound cliché? I guess so. But is it true? Absolutely. Of course, the word love carries as many meanings as there are human beings on our shared planet. For most of us, the first love we experience is that of our mother, who carries us for months and cares for us by…

    Read more

  • The “Modern World”

    The “Modern World”

    Cha Cha, our platypus friend, was thinking about what the “Modern World” had become—and how paradoxical it was. Thanks to new technologies that turned machines into the world’s new servants, life had become easier for some of the richest countries. But this comfort came at the cost of irreversible damage to the environment—damage that was…

    Read more

  • Moderation

    Moderation

    Before the end of the Chaos War, the concept of moderation scarcely existed among the Espers. They preferred to spend their time wielding magic and battling one another, unaware of the consequences. The birth of Atma, the Shape of Balance, transformed life in Esperia. The Seven Shapes placed moderation as a core principle in the…

    Read more

  • Slowing Down

    Slowing Down

    Esperia was built and envisioned so that harmony and peace would be its foundations. Nature and all the creatures living within it created a virtuous circle, and the Espers — the magical beings — finally understood that the restriction on their use of magic served a greater purpose on their interconnected and limited planet. This…

    Read more

  • Values

    Values

    What we come to see as “good” values and the proper behaviors to follow are learned throughout our lives. As children, we naturally mimic the actions and thoughts we observe — through the words and gestures of our parents, siblings, teachers, or friends we play with. When we are still very young, we hold no…

    Read more

  • A Limit to Willpower

    A Limit to Willpower

    Faya, the Shape of Willpower, often used comparisons to explain the principles she had to teach. For willpower, her element of fire offered an easy image to grasp—one that clearly showed how willpower has its limits. To keep a fire alive, you need the right amount of fuel. If the fire burns too fiercely, it…

    Read more

  • A Pillar for Life

    A Pillar for Life

    Since the collective consciousness of all Espers had finally been reached, health as a pillar of life was naturally embraced as the path to follow. The realization of the existence of both the StarDust and the Shadow within each of them brought about a profound and lasting change across Esperia. Health now stood at the…

    Read more

  • Collective Consciousness

    Collective Consciousness

    Eklea was reflecting on how Esperia had radically changed since the end of the Chaos War and the discovery of StarDust. “This created a collective consciousness,” she whispered. Indeed, the different elemental Espers had never thought of Esperia as a whole before this event. She believed that even if a few Espers were aware of…

    Read more