Logophobia

Moralam: Do you know who you are?

Caiphus: Yes.

Moralam: How?

Caiphus: I know myself by my deeds, for it is by deeds that men are measured.

Moralam: Then you know nothing.

Caiphus: How else are we to know ourselves?

Moralam: Who we are cannot be measured by our deeds, for deeds are fragile and mortal, changing and distorting with each day that passes. A yardstick is useless on soft ground, for where the measuring begins and ends changes each time. We must measure ourselves, not by the actions we take, for those actions may be misinterpreted, regretted, misused or forgotten, but by our intentions and desires, for therein lies our self.

Caiphus: But intentions are useless! If I do not help another shoulder their burden but instead desire to do so and refrain, I am foolish and cowardly.

Moralam: What you say is true, for intent without action is like rain that does not sink into the ground. If what we desire truly means something to us, our actions will coincide. It is the coupling of action and desire that we commonly refer to as character.

Caiphus: So you would say that a man of good character is one whose actions reflect his truest desires? What of men who lust for the great evils of the earth; power without repercussion, wealth without generosity, or fame without thoughtfulness?

Moralam: It is better to choose a path and follow it than to accomplish nothing while deciding.