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Zeison Sha philosophy: The Way of the Open Palm vs. The Way of the Closed Fist
Philosophers in the Zeison Sha Order have defined two opposing moral paths: the Way of the Open Palm and the Way of the Closed Fist. These paths do not necessarily represent good or evil but instead define an individual's actions in relation to harmony with society, the world, and oneself.
The Way of the Closed Fist is not based entirely upon doing violence, despite its name. Individuals following this path may be quicker to resort to violence than others, but a trained warrior can wound just as easily with the open hand as he can with the closed fist. The Way of the Closed Fist is a philosophy of doing whatever it takes to further one's station, regardless of the consequences this has on the world at large.
People in the Zeison Sha Order believe in two main moral concepts: harmony and discord. The concept of harmony is often misunderstood as "good," but in essence, harmony is to live according to one's place in the world. On the other hand, discord, often confused with "evil," is to defy one's own station and to reach out for something greater than one deserves. A soldier fighting to protect his home is acting out of harmony, while a man stealing from the rich to give to the poor is working with discord in his soul.
The Way of the Closed Fist
While the Way of the Closed Fist isn't necessarily evil, its followers tend to take its tenets in that direction. The Way of the Closed Fist teaches that strength is power, that power is desirable, and that all things bow to those who know what they want. The Closed Fist is not concerned with consequences or with balance; personal station means nothing to one who would murder friends and family to reach his heart's desire.
Following the Way of the Closed Fist has its rewards. The core philosophy leads many to far greater things than they would have gained by quietly observing their station, simply because people who follow this path have no problem reaching out and taking what they want. Many people in positions of power in the Galaxy are there because they reached for that power and grabbed it before someone else could do the same. Warriors willing to reach beyond their station may even learn esoteric fighting styles such as Dark Side Powers, which gives discordant warriors the ability to draw the life from their opponents and use it to strengthen themselves.
Philosophers caution those who seek to follow the discordant path, for among other things it tends to place one among others who follow this path. Like the serpent eating its own tail, the Way of the Closed Fist will lead its followers to few real allies and even fewer true friends
The Galaxy is a place steeped in tradition, where every person has his or her place in the grand scheme of things. Some philosophers teach that true strength comes from leaving behind one?s station, reaching out for more, and grabbing whatever one is strong enough to take. This has become a popular philosophy across the planets. The war is still part of recent memory, and the people knew true suffering as few as some years ago, bringing many to believe that the only way to survive is to take whatever they can and let everyone fend for themselves. Despite the hard times, however, many scholars and wise men caution against such rash belief. Many of the greatest minds in the Galaxy believe that their civilization was built on the tenets of strength, duty, and honor: the Way of the Open Palm.
The Way of the Open Palm
Followers of the Way of the Open Palm believe that strength lies in maintaining one?s station and in thinking of the greater whole before considering the parts. "The high path," as some call it, concerns itself with the prosperity of the people, almost to the exclusion of the safety of the individual. Those who walk this path don't seek power, because they know that true power lies in the strength of community, as all parts of the world machine work together in perfect cosmic harmony.
Some write the lighter road off as "good", "weak", or even "foolish", but a closer look reveals the details of the path. Goodness can be one outcome of the path, certainly, but to limit one?s self to good alone ignores many of the duties one might have as part of his station. A soldier who refuses to kill might have good in his heart, but the community he is sworn to protect may suffer as a result.
In many ways, the Way of the Open Palm can be as dangerous as its philosophical counterpart, if not more so. Those who think of the safety of others before their own tend to be a little more likely to put their own lives in danger. Of course, the high path doesn't advise foolishness; an unarmed merchant leaping into the fray to save someone from a gang of armed bandits not only gets himself killed, but he also removes an established merchant from society. Just as the Way of the Closed Fist recommends against mindless cruelty, the Open Palm teaches against mindless sacrifice
Philosophies
Much of the SW RPG places emphasis on the two major philosophies in the world of the Galaxy, the Way of the Open Palm and the Way of the Closed Fist. These paths bear a close resemblance to the "Light Path" and "Dark Path" described in the BioWare title Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Thus one who follows the Way of the Open Palm is not necessarily good, and one who follows the Way of the Closed Fist is not necessarily evil.
According to the "Way of the Open Palm," the key to maintaining the universe is by being in harmony with nature, one's surroundings, and one's station in life. As an effect of being in nature with one's surroundings, one is expected to actively assist in lessening the chaos in the area, through the assistance of lessening burdens. While this seems "Peaceful", the Way of the Open Palm is strict in another form: one should not act outside their station and purpose in life.
According to the "Way of the Closed Fist," on the other hand, the purpose of life is to follow the ways of serving oneself - to face one's challenges head on, challenge one's station in life, and work to become self-reliant. The emphasis of the Way of the Closed Fist is combat, turmoil, and constantly challenging oneself, which is why many of those who are evil tend to be considered to follow the Way of the Closed Fist, in that they bring about chaos in the universe.
Context plays a large part in the interpretation of these philosophies. For example, an evil follower of the Open Palm path could enable the suffering of others in order to achieve greater order, and a good follower of the Closed Fist path could encourage self-reliance in others, thus making them happier. For instance, if a follower of the Open Palm came upon a peasant being attack by a gang of bandits, he would help because it is the right thing to do. Conversely, if a follower of the Closed Fist encountered this situation, he would reason that the peasant must survive on their own merit, or die. However, the Closed Fist student might also help the peasant if he felt that the peasant was too far out of his league for such a battle to be a valid test of his strength. Interestingly, if a common thug came upon this situation he would not help the peasant due to concern for his own safety, but then later claim he did it because he follows the way of the Closed Fist. In this way, the Closed Fist tends to be misconstrued as evil.
Despite the philosophical nuances, the actual RPG in W.o.S.W. for the most part casts Open Palm actions as selfless and heroic, and Closed Fist actions as selfish and thuggish.
The Way of the Closed Fist is not based entirely upon doing violence, despite its name. Individuals following this path may be quicker to resort to violence than others, but a trained warrior can wound just as easily with the open hand as he can with the closed fist. The Way of the Closed Fist is a philosophy of doing whatever it takes to further one's station, regardless of the consequences this has on the world at large.
People in the Zeison Sha Order believe in two main moral concepts: harmony and discord. The concept of harmony is often misunderstood as "good," but in essence, harmony is to live according to one's place in the world. On the other hand, discord, often confused with "evil," is to defy one's own station and to reach out for something greater than one deserves. A soldier fighting to protect his home is acting out of harmony, while a man stealing from the rich to give to the poor is working with discord in his soul.
The Way of the Closed Fist
While the Way of the Closed Fist isn't necessarily evil, its followers tend to take its tenets in that direction. The Way of the Closed Fist teaches that strength is power, that power is desirable, and that all things bow to those who know what they want. The Closed Fist is not concerned with consequences or with balance; personal station means nothing to one who would murder friends and family to reach his heart's desire.
Following the Way of the Closed Fist has its rewards. The core philosophy leads many to far greater things than they would have gained by quietly observing their station, simply because people who follow this path have no problem reaching out and taking what they want. Many people in positions of power in the Galaxy are there because they reached for that power and grabbed it before someone else could do the same. Warriors willing to reach beyond their station may even learn esoteric fighting styles such as Dark Side Powers, which gives discordant warriors the ability to draw the life from their opponents and use it to strengthen themselves.
Philosophers caution those who seek to follow the discordant path, for among other things it tends to place one among others who follow this path. Like the serpent eating its own tail, the Way of the Closed Fist will lead its followers to few real allies and even fewer true friends
The Galaxy is a place steeped in tradition, where every person has his or her place in the grand scheme of things. Some philosophers teach that true strength comes from leaving behind one?s station, reaching out for more, and grabbing whatever one is strong enough to take. This has become a popular philosophy across the planets. The war is still part of recent memory, and the people knew true suffering as few as some years ago, bringing many to believe that the only way to survive is to take whatever they can and let everyone fend for themselves. Despite the hard times, however, many scholars and wise men caution against such rash belief. Many of the greatest minds in the Galaxy believe that their civilization was built on the tenets of strength, duty, and honor: the Way of the Open Palm.
The Way of the Open Palm
Followers of the Way of the Open Palm believe that strength lies in maintaining one?s station and in thinking of the greater whole before considering the parts. "The high path," as some call it, concerns itself with the prosperity of the people, almost to the exclusion of the safety of the individual. Those who walk this path don't seek power, because they know that true power lies in the strength of community, as all parts of the world machine work together in perfect cosmic harmony.
Some write the lighter road off as "good", "weak", or even "foolish", but a closer look reveals the details of the path. Goodness can be one outcome of the path, certainly, but to limit one?s self to good alone ignores many of the duties one might have as part of his station. A soldier who refuses to kill might have good in his heart, but the community he is sworn to protect may suffer as a result.
In many ways, the Way of the Open Palm can be as dangerous as its philosophical counterpart, if not more so. Those who think of the safety of others before their own tend to be a little more likely to put their own lives in danger. Of course, the high path doesn't advise foolishness; an unarmed merchant leaping into the fray to save someone from a gang of armed bandits not only gets himself killed, but he also removes an established merchant from society. Just as the Way of the Closed Fist recommends against mindless cruelty, the Open Palm teaches against mindless sacrifice
Philosophies
Much of the SW RPG places emphasis on the two major philosophies in the world of the Galaxy, the Way of the Open Palm and the Way of the Closed Fist. These paths bear a close resemblance to the "Light Path" and "Dark Path" described in the BioWare title Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Thus one who follows the Way of the Open Palm is not necessarily good, and one who follows the Way of the Closed Fist is not necessarily evil.
According to the "Way of the Open Palm," the key to maintaining the universe is by being in harmony with nature, one's surroundings, and one's station in life. As an effect of being in nature with one's surroundings, one is expected to actively assist in lessening the chaos in the area, through the assistance of lessening burdens. While this seems "Peaceful", the Way of the Open Palm is strict in another form: one should not act outside their station and purpose in life.
According to the "Way of the Closed Fist," on the other hand, the purpose of life is to follow the ways of serving oneself - to face one's challenges head on, challenge one's station in life, and work to become self-reliant. The emphasis of the Way of the Closed Fist is combat, turmoil, and constantly challenging oneself, which is why many of those who are evil tend to be considered to follow the Way of the Closed Fist, in that they bring about chaos in the universe.
Context plays a large part in the interpretation of these philosophies. For example, an evil follower of the Open Palm path could enable the suffering of others in order to achieve greater order, and a good follower of the Closed Fist path could encourage self-reliance in others, thus making them happier. For instance, if a follower of the Open Palm came upon a peasant being attack by a gang of bandits, he would help because it is the right thing to do. Conversely, if a follower of the Closed Fist encountered this situation, he would reason that the peasant must survive on their own merit, or die. However, the Closed Fist student might also help the peasant if he felt that the peasant was too far out of his league for such a battle to be a valid test of his strength. Interestingly, if a common thug came upon this situation he would not help the peasant due to concern for his own safety, but then later claim he did it because he follows the way of the Closed Fist. In this way, the Closed Fist tends to be misconstrued as evil.
Despite the philosophical nuances, the actual RPG in W.o.S.W. for the most part casts Open Palm actions as selfless and heroic, and Closed Fist actions as selfish and thuggish.
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