11-23-2016, 08:15 PM
"Well sound strategy or not, I still lost. But I guess that's another lesson,"
"That's correct," Robin says. "Loss is a lesson that leads to future victories.
"At the same time, since my cluttered board was my main weakness through this game, that would mean the problem could have been solved by my willingness to sacrifice more of my pieces?" as Peach spoke, her voice became more sullen. "But, if we really were treating this like a real battle... I'm afraid that would mean..."
That would mean she's about to learn the hardest part of leadership.
"I get that both risk and sacrifice are necessary, no matter the circumstances, but... I'm not sure I can trust myself enough to put lives at risk, let alone the lives of people I care about...But I guess that's just something I'll just have to learn to accept, isn't it?"
Robin meets her eyes, demeanor intensifying from the laid-back one he had during the game. "No, it doesn't. Never, ever accept sacrifice and risk as 'necessary.' You may have to make tough calls that might lead to the deaths of others. You might make a mistake that causes friends and allies to be injured, or worse." Robin closes his eyes for a moment. After opening them, he reaches down and takes a pawn between his fingers. "Accept these truths. That much, you will need to do, or you will never be able to live with yourself. But if you allow yourself to become desensitized to the deaths that may happen, you will cross a dangerous threshold you may never be able to return from."
His hand clasps around the pawn he holds between his fingers. "Every life you command has his or her own hopes, dreams, aspirations, loved ones. The weight of each life you command can be overburdening. It is easy to cast off such things and command them as simply as we move a piece across the board. Many a conqueror loses their humanity in discourse of leadership. But you can't. You cannot accept the deaths of your friends, of your allies, as another step to victory. That," he says, leaning back, holding the piece up close to his eye, inspecting it, "is what separates the leaders from the dictators. And that is what makes leadership such a heavy burden."
"That's correct," Robin says. "Loss is a lesson that leads to future victories.
"At the same time, since my cluttered board was my main weakness through this game, that would mean the problem could have been solved by my willingness to sacrifice more of my pieces?" as Peach spoke, her voice became more sullen. "But, if we really were treating this like a real battle... I'm afraid that would mean..."
That would mean she's about to learn the hardest part of leadership.
"I get that both risk and sacrifice are necessary, no matter the circumstances, but... I'm not sure I can trust myself enough to put lives at risk, let alone the lives of people I care about...But I guess that's just something I'll just have to learn to accept, isn't it?"
Robin meets her eyes, demeanor intensifying from the laid-back one he had during the game. "No, it doesn't. Never, ever accept sacrifice and risk as 'necessary.' You may have to make tough calls that might lead to the deaths of others. You might make a mistake that causes friends and allies to be injured, or worse." Robin closes his eyes for a moment. After opening them, he reaches down and takes a pawn between his fingers. "Accept these truths. That much, you will need to do, or you will never be able to live with yourself. But if you allow yourself to become desensitized to the deaths that may happen, you will cross a dangerous threshold you may never be able to return from."
His hand clasps around the pawn he holds between his fingers. "Every life you command has his or her own hopes, dreams, aspirations, loved ones. The weight of each life you command can be overburdening. It is easy to cast off such things and command them as simply as we move a piece across the board. Many a conqueror loses their humanity in discourse of leadership. But you can't. You cannot accept the deaths of your friends, of your allies, as another step to victory. That," he says, leaning back, holding the piece up close to his eye, inspecting it, "is what separates the leaders from the dictators. And that is what makes leadership such a heavy burden."