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Emotions: Human/atevi (also Just Human)
Topic Started: Dec 12 2006, 08:35 PM (1,440 Views)
spiderdavon
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Quote:
 
Maybe that is why Bren describes him several times as "child-like."


Human child or atevi? Bren hasn't had much contact with atevi kids.
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Resa
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"I found the astronomer interesting in that he seems to be somewhat outside of man'chi. Maybe that is why Bren describes him several times as "child-like." The students and staff are protective to him, but he does not appear to lead them."

Could it be that we're comparing man'chi to the wrong word? That it's not love, but something closer to "worship"? Before I go far with that idea, let me stress that "worship" is the wrong word, but closer to the concept I'm thinking about. Maybe there's a better word, so somebody toss it in here if you have it in your vocabulary.

I'm thinking of that drive that makes something or someone the most important thing in your life. Something you live and would die for.

For some, it is their religion. Some their country. It can be the idea of being a mother or a father. Or even your "art". That thing people talk about when they say "this is my path". Or what I was born to do.

Some people attach it to a person. Think of Gandhi. Mother Teresa. Or Hitler.

I think that's our best equivalent of man'chi. And like man'chi, if that person or idea become corrupt, we lose that blind, loving loyalty really really fast. And if a group of people lose it -- for a leader, say, it can get really ugly, really fast. Both ideas and people who gather that kind of focus need to stay worthy.

If so, Grigiji has plenty of man'chi. To his art.
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Aja Jin
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Ressa that's an interesting thought --- and I agree, and it's hard to find the right word(s).

I've always thought of man'chi as a cross between "duty" and "passion" -- something that one does (or "has") that is both involuntary and essential/central to one's being.
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suzdal
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Maybe the right word is 'purpose'? That seems to sit at the intersection of duty and passion for me.

Peace,
Suzdal
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Resa
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"purpose" - "passion"
There we go -- much closer than the word I had.
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Arianne_Luinithil
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"Devotion (to the point of almost compulsion)" might do the trick as well :atwink , though if a word were ever invented which blends the concepts of "passion", "purpose" and "devotion", we might just hit on a good start to defining man'chi in human terms, as much as it can ever be.
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