life_death

Life & Death:
~ Gorean Pragmatism ~

It is important, when considering the mentality of the Gorean Warrior, to remember that Gor is a deadly place, filled with savage creatures, not the least of which is man. The law of "survival of the fittest" is in constant practice there, and the entire culture there is founded upon that principle. Each Gorean is the result of a culmination of countless centuries of select breeding, in which the weaker and less adaptive elements of human stock have been culled from the populace, and the strong strain of those who have survived has become the majority of the planetary population. This is actively reflective in basic Gorean philosophy, as well as a fundamental part of that planet's own culture. In short, survival is never taken for granted; the very act of day to day living is prized and much appreciated; and the most ruthless facts of life are brought home to Goreans on a daily basis. Goreans feel that all things which are weak deserve to be enslaved or eliminated, leaving only the proud and strong in their place. Nature supports this mode of thought, and the Gorean Warrior is trained to accept the grim fact of his own mortality from an early age. This situation results in a highly pragmatic view of life in general. Basically, a Gorean Warrior is not afraid to die at any time, in any situation ... indeed, he knows it shall happen eventually and expects it to happen sooner rather than later. Each breath he draws is therefore a cause to rejoice! Goreans, as a people, tend to work hard and play hard. They do not repress their emotions ... such emotions are a fact of life, and it is better, in their eyes, to accept and experience their emotional states than to waste the time and effort involved in conditioning themselves to repress them.

The Gorean Warrior expects to die at any time ... but that does not mean he is looking forward to it. The Goreans have few myths involving the afterworld. They cannot know what lies beyond the door of death, so few Goreans bother to speculate about it. Because of this view, the Gorean Warrior will do whatever he can to stave off for as long as he can, provided it does not interfere with the living of his life or the service to his codes. This highly practical and sensible view of things might seem odd or bizarre to those of Earth, but to a Gorean, the detailed myths and legends about paradise and the afterworld which are such a large part of Earth religion and culture are just a collection of unfounded speculation. A Gorean Warrior accepts that which he knows to be true, that which he can see with his own eyes. His gods are the Priest Kings of the Sardar, a real place where no man or animal may enter and return, and when those gods are angry the blasphemer explodes in a burst of blue flame. No speculation is required ... the Lords of the Sardar are real, and their existance must be accepted because it is fact. While those of the lesser castes tend to be more fearful and superstitious about things which are unknown to them, the Warrior is not. Such a mode of thinking can only interfere with his commitment to his profession, that of arms.

Nor will a Gorean Warrior foolishly throw his life away unless he believes passionately in the cause he fights for. Though it may seem odd that such a cause can be as inconsequential as the use of a road of the sale of a slave, it must be remembered that any such cause has the full weight of the codes behind it. The Warrior in question might not really care about the particulars involved, but he does care passionately about his caste codes and his honor. This is the force which drives him into dangerous situations, and which provides him with comfort as he faces what he believes will be his end of existance. To compensate for such things, he will immerse himself in the act of living, his use of his slaves, the various joys and beauty in his life ... you name it. He drinks hard, works hard, fights hard ... because life is hard, and his life will not last forever. Life for today is the primary Gorean ethic, and tonight, let us drink wine.

Gorean Warriors are therefore direct in their actions and interactions with others. To their minds, there is simply no time to waste. This is Gorean Pragmatism in action, and like all such manifestations of Gorean cultural traits, it seems particulary evident in those of the scarlet caste.

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