From EncyclopAtys
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Here are some of Wuaoi Yai-Zhio's comments on this subject, taken from Ranger assemblies held between the years of Jena 2580 and 2599, gathered by Ba'Ruly Wiser, Wuaoi Yai-Zhio's scribe, and reported here in the form of a conversation.
The fourth day.
Aspirant: I ask you now to speak to me of the last Precept: Balance.
Wuaoi: Remember that every one of the Precepts affects the others, just as the movements of the beasts and Kitin all interact.
This last Precept is one of the easiest and at the same time one of the hardest to apply. Balance: Weigh consequences before acting. It is so easy to think of that, and say to yourself that you have done so. But how can you know that you have truly done so? The meditation is: If I act, who benefits? Who does not? How can we know that we have thought of every benefit, or every harm?
Aspirant: Sir, we can’t be sure. It is not possible to think of everything. I think we have to use our experiences to think about Balance. But we have to act, don’t we?
Wuaoi: Very good. You begin to think like a Ranger, not just asking questions but stating your own mind. An action may be either a direct action or a choice not to act. Both must be considered in the Balance, but in the end, even the most experienced Ranger must act on incomplete knowledge.
Aspirant: Do we have time to think in front of a horde of Kitin?
Wuaoi: Sometimes, even in front of a horde of Kitin, you do have time to think; at least enough time to to choose your escape route so that it does not cross the place where the harvesters are working.
Aspirant: Surely there are some things that are so obviously worthwhile that they require little thought of Balance. The Rangers have cooperated with the Matis SKA to study Kitin, for instance.
Wuaoi: Yes, but first the consequences needed to be thought through. Working with Zendae, the Matis Arms Master, could have been seen by the Fyros as favouring the Matis, thus threatening our stance of neutrality with respect to the Nations.
The answer to that is, of course, that neutrality means that we favour no one Nation over any other. It does not mean inaction, but equivalent action. We have also supported the Fyros/Tryker Beer and Water Road, and have assisted the Zorais in their work against the Goo. Should the Fyros need help in a worthy endeavour, we would help them as well.
Aspirant: Life is complicated. No -- you have taught me that much. It is not life that is complicated, but how we must react to it. I think it will be a long time before I am ready to be a Ranger.
Wuaoi: You have begun to think. It may be shorter than you expect.
Remember: Memory, Preservation, Service, Diligence, Tolerance, Balance. Keep those Precepts, and remain neutral, and no matter what your badge says, you are a Ranger.
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