Trade-off

Atma found in Shala the figure of an older sister, someone with whom she could share her vision of the world.

As the Shape of Balance, Atma was there to help the Espers remember that balance was essential for a bright StarDust.

But she couldn’t help them directly—they had to understand and act on their own.

Shala agreed that balance was essential. Because living beings have a beginning and an end, the time they can spend is limited.

“When you choose to spend time on one activity, that is time you cannot spend on another,” Shala reminded the Espers.

“Every decision you make is a trade-off. And now that we understand more about the StarDust and how it works, we know that balance is needed for it to grow at its best.”

“What you decide to trade off—what you choose as the most important thing in your day—is what will shape your StarDust.”

“What are you willing to trade off?”

Want to share?


Comments

Leave a Reply


Our latest tales

  • The Limits of the World

    The Limits of the World

    Vati held one of the most challenging responsibilities as the Shape of Wisdom. She had to convince the Espers that they lived in a world with limitations. A very difficult task! For magic could be seen everywhere they looked! Many young Espers naturally believed that anything was possible—as long as they kept discovering new forms

    Read more

  • Back to Sobriety

    Back to Sobriety

    Cha Cha was investigating, alongside Guruko, the evolution of mankind over thousands of years by reading various books about history from all over planet Earth. What struck him was how, in just about two centuries—starting with the Industrial Revolution—the world had shifted to one where sobriety was quickly forgotten, where goods are now counted in

    Read more

  • Time is Limited for Us

    Time is Limited for Us

    In Esperia, even the most powerful and advanced magics have never been able to create immortality for the Espers. But they did not believe that their limited time was without meaning! On the contrary, they understood well that it was because their lives had an end that it was worth doing their best for the

    Read more

  • Nurture your StarDust

    Nurture your StarDust

    In Esperia, the Espers had perfectly grasped the importance of nurturing their StarDust—not only for their own good, but for the world they lived in and the other species around them. Shala reminded them that they needed to appreciate the time they had to do things, as the hours in a day were limited. Atma

    Read more

  • The First Step

    The First Step

    Faya was explaining in her lesson about Willpower how the First Step was one of the most important keys to developing it. Some younger Espers had trouble understanding, so she used her own element, Fire, as an example. “In order to create a beautiful and heartwarming, cozy fire, what do we need first?” The young

    Read more

  • Addictions

    Addictions

    Addictions can take many forms. Some are seemingly obvious, and many are aware of them: sugar-laden food, soda, alcohol or tobacco, smartphones and social media, games… Others are less willing to be acknowledged, making them harder to detect. hese include the commercials that keep you “hooked” on the latest products, the social media posts that

    Read more

  • Question your own beliefs

    Question your own beliefs

    Eklea’s teachings were certainly the most difficult to grasp. What exactly is awareness—or consciousness? To help the Espers, she always tried to use concrete examples. And the theme today was: “You should always question your own beliefs.”A younger one asked, “But if that’s what we’ve been taught, shouldn’t our beliefs be right?” “When you learn,

    Read more

  • Pure Heart

    Pure Heart

    Cha Cha was looking at Guruko, who was humming a song she had heard from the birds of the nearby forest. He thought to himself: “Guruko really has a pure heart.” He reflected on how the planet Earth was plagued by raging wars, genocides, and inequity—and how many of its inhabitants were living, oblivious to

    Read more