The Way of the Ranger (3)
No one ever said being a Ranger was easy.
Being various statements of Wuaoi Yai-Zhio on the subject of being a Ranger, collected from Ranger Assemblies from JY 2580 through JY 2599 and cast in the form of a conversation.
Collected by Ba'Ruly Wiser, scribe to Wuaoi Yai-Zhio.
Third day.
Aspirant: I see that Diligence is a Precept. Isnât it obvious that you should complete a job you have been given?
Wuaoi: "Never rest until the job is done." Yes, that is obvious when you are assigned a job. But the Precept of Diligence is most important when the task is one that you have assigned to yourself.
Then no one but yourself will know if you completed it -- but YOU will know.
It is possible, as in all things, to take Diligence too far. It is never possible to take a task or project to perfection. There must be a time when you say that a task is finished enough - and call it complete. It is the burden of a Ranger to make that decision for his or her own tasks, and then to stand by it. To stand by it, or to humbly admit error and carry the task on to a true completion.
One of the areas where Diligence is most important is our observation of Atys as we go about our daily routine, noticing changes in beast and Kitin, and even Homin, behaviour and if we see them, analysing them and reporting them.
Aspirant: What about Tolerance? If we let anyone do as they wish doesnât that mean that we donât have values at all?
Wuaoi: Not at all. The Precept of Tolerance is not practised alone, but in conjunction with the other Precepts.
As an example: Once, one of the Rangers Aspirant decided that he needed to become a Tryker Citizen and forfeit the work he had done to become a Ranger Aspirant. He did this because he was a Tryker and felt that the Federation had need of his service. His fellows wished him well, even as they wished that he was not leaving the Rangers. The meditation for the Precept of Tolerance starts with "You are free." He had thought long and hard about it and showed by his action that he understood the Precepts of Service, Diligence, Tolerance and Balance. We hope that, once he has fulfilled what he sees as his duty, he will return to us.
Aspirant: So a Ranger could do anything under the Precept of Tolerance?
Wuaoi: Within limits. If that behaviour undermines the overall mission of the Rangers, that tolerance will be minimal. In such a case the Homin might be expelled from the Rangers and his badge stripped from him.
Aspirant: Is taking part in an Outpost fight one of those behaviours?
Wuaoi: Outpost battles are between guilds, at least in theory, and the Rangers as a group do not meddle in them. Individual Rangers are free to act, remembering the Precepts. Tolerance is one of them.
Aspirant: What if I am in a guild that owns an Outpost?
Wuaoi: I would expect you to listen to your guild leader as well as remembering the Precepts.
Aspirant: We can fight in self-defence, and also fight for our guild?
Wuaoi: Yes. But be aware that if your guild is exclusively attacking one specific Nation or religion, that your actions will be reflecting upon the Rangers as a whole.
Aspirant: I think I know the answer, but can a Ranger take part in the capture or elimination of an outlaw such as Aen-the-Blade or Pei-Ziao.
Wuaoi: The predation of Aen upon passers by, and the crimes committed by Pei-Ziao are egregious. Killing them is a favour to all civilised Homins in Atys. In addition, curbing bandit gangs builds fame and earns favour with the Nations and the Powers.
Aspirant: Would bandits include Marauders too?
Wuaoi: That is a tricky question. Those who have come from the Old Lands to the New but who reject the Nations and the Powers â what are they? Are they Homins like us? In the obvious way, yes, of course. Some of them seem to have a sense of honour, others do not. They share a common enemy with us: the Kitin, and they have suffered from them more than most of us. On the other hand they have been known to organise attacks on Homins of the Nations and adherents of the Powers. Tolerance only extends so far.
Yet, we must compare their attacks on Homins to those of extremist adherents of the Nations. Fyros may attack the Matis capital, and Matis invade the Desert. Extremists of a Nation may even wage civil war. We cannot tolerate all that they do, but if we are fighting Kitins and Marauders are helping us, we should accept their help and fight beside them. We must judge our reaction based on theirs.
Aspirant: What if two groups are claiming supremacy within a Nation?
Wuaoi: In that case, Rangers will stay out of that fight and hope to broker a peace through diplomacy. There is a fine line between insurrection and banditry -- it is hard to measure its width, but we must try.
Aspirant: What if I saw a Ranger attacking a digger in the Prime Roots?
Wuaoi: That would not be a matter for the Rangers as an organisation, but a matter for your individual action.
Aspirant: I would defend the digger. Tolerance is one thing, but some actions I could not condone.
Wuaoi: I would applaud that decision. It agrees with my personal opinion. It is not our business in general to police the actions of our comrades, but neither is Tolerance without limits. If you were to see the same Ranger attacking Homins again and again, especially if they were always of the same alignment, I would encourage you to report it to Melga Folgore, who is in charge of our relations with the Nations and Powers. He might say that individual actions are not our problem, or he might decide that further action is needed. Membership in the Rangers is not a right, but a privilege, and it can be revoked.
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