Behru cesik/Philosophy

For the first question upon every student's tongue Is "you tell us this is good, but why is it good?"

And left unanswered, they ponder And soon wander of the path of righteousness Like the traveler, drawn in by the lies of a their Before being pounced upon and killed

"Why is the state good?" you ask, "Is it not better if we look out for ourselves?" For certainly, it can be said that to fulfill our desires is good, as it gives us happiness, and no man dislikes happiness. But men are cursed by Cera, and they can hardly see what lies right in front of them. They think that to fulfill their own desires, ignorant of the needs of others Will give them the most happiness, as only by themselves can their cravings be best fulfuilled For they cannot see that if each man were to for but a moment lay down their needs And fulfill the needs of another That both mends together would for the both of them Produce tenfold what they could on their own. Does not a hunter, by himself, chase vainly the galloping ksene of the plains, struggling to capture just one? Yet the tribe, all together, can trap an entire herd in the neck of a gorge, and acquire for everyone among them a bountiful feast. And does not the desert farmer, all alone, struggle to draw life from the earth? While the village, in union, can dig a great channel from the river, and make the dry soil burst forth with life for all. For the feats of men are far greater than the feats of a man. And so the feats of the state, which one day shall compose every man, are the greatest feats of them all. And thus the state, being the most powerful, can give to its citizens the greatest happiness, so long as its ruler rules wisely. And our emperor is very, very wise. So indeed, the pupil now understands that the state is good. Indeed, the state is the best thing of all. For while many of the men that compose it have died The Behru empire has stood for 7 millenia.