tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jul 03 21:02:38 1998

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Re: The Farmer's Treasure is the Warrior's Burden



From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>


> "The farmer's treasure is the warrior's burden."
>:
>: I'm hampered because I don't know what the English actually means.
>"It's the warrior's job to protect the farmer's assets"??


>I took it to mean that those things a farmer values -- a settled uneventful
>long life, quiet evenings with the family, the rhythm and predictability of
>working the land, etc. -- are burdensome, boring and tedious to an active,
>adventure-loving, glory-seeking warrior.

No.  The context in which the statement is made makes the meaning quite
clear: while farmers may acquire many things which they value, warriors do
not want such things, because they (a) cannot use them as warriors, and (b)
need to travel light.  Being worried about your prized tool collection might
be a worthwhile feeling for a farmer, but a warrior shouldn't be overly
concerned about such things.  Leave them behind.

Sure, you can start to get into the deeper symbolic meaning of that, but I
don't think that's what was intended.

SuStel
Stardate 98505.5





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