Well, I agree (though I'm not sure how we got from romance/compassion to 'true' kindness rather than romance, which tends to produce rather selfish kindnesses), but... her being ethically mean-spirited is sort of irrelevant in this context, at least it was to me? Anyway, in a general sense there's two sorts of 'compassion'-- one driven by justice and one by mercy. This... I don't actually prioritize them, necessarily, in a theoretical sense, since you have be truly just (and harsh) or truly merciful (and altruistic), and both are necessary and admirable. They're extremes of character, too, so you rarely see either.
Most people in general, especially practical/hands-on rational types, are probably more justice-driven, and I've come to terms with that, haha. I'm definitely not of their ilk, but it's apersonality thing. If you can be good at being the way you are, I guess it's fine with me; being just yet compassionate insofar as that fits is also traditional for heroes. You very rarely have heroes (not antiheroes and not like, priestly mentors) that aren't that way on some level... or worse. Sometimes it really is very jarring because no only are they 'ethically mean-spirited', they're actually also bitchy and hardass and just plain not nice, haha. This is all typical for hero types these days, men or women. On that scale (like compared to the Hollows books), I think Lily is pretty nice, haha. They're all very judgmental, hard-line, closed-minded, etc. Those damn Js, ruining everything!!! D: D: hahahafhlfksajflkasjflkasjlkasj Um. I'm overly amused, I know. >__> I try to be all 'there there, go on and, uh, protect us from the wicked', or whatever, just 'cause basically if you can't beat 'em, accept 'em :>
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-02 10:22 pm (UTC)Most people in general, especially practical/hands-on rational types, are probably more justice-driven, and I've come to terms with that, haha. I'm definitely not of their ilk, but it's apersonality thing. If you can be good at being the way you are, I guess it's fine with me; being just yet compassionate insofar as that fits is also traditional for heroes. You very rarely have heroes (not antiheroes and not like, priestly mentors) that aren't that way on some level... or worse. Sometimes it really is very jarring because no only are they 'ethically mean-spirited', they're actually also bitchy and hardass and just plain not nice, haha. This is all typical for hero types these days, men or women. On that scale (like compared to the Hollows books), I think Lily is pretty nice, haha. They're all very judgmental, hard-line, closed-minded, etc. Those damn Js, ruining everything!!! D: D: hahahafhlfksajflkasjflkasjlkasj Um. I'm overly amused, I know. >__> I try to be all 'there there, go on and, uh, protect us from the wicked', or whatever, just 'cause basically if you can't beat 'em, accept 'em :>