rubeszilla
Terrarian
You may have read some fan theories about the player and their intentions and the stark revelation that you, as the player character, may actually be evil. And you may have read others rebute it and propose the player character is fundamentally good.
A cookie cutter approach to motivations being good and evil or the slight elaboration of that into a nine alignment system is all well and good for some storytelling, it is easier for us the listeners to relate to such characters as representatives of paradigms within ourselves, but outside the telling of a good story how accurate is this in real life?
Not very. Just like the Terraria character who rescues bound hostages or slays innocent bunnies, we too are often capable of both good and evil. And that's because ultimately everyone of us is selfish. Now selfishness may not necessarily be a bad thing if we come to understand what's really motivating our selfishness.
Philosophers worked out a long time ago that all human beings are doing is seeking happiness, we're rejecting or trying to avoid that which causes us suffering and seeking that which brings us pleasure. For this end it necessitates that it's often in our best interest to do good to others. But not always. We are after all a stupid bunch who don't really know what's good for us or for others.
Look at this wonderful understanding of the mechanics of the universe in the Theory of Relativity! Less than a decade later we used that theory to create the atom bomb (something that greatly distressed our dear Einstein). Look! We can dig fossil fuels out of the ground and have electricity! Drive cars! We're cookin' with gas now! Now we're staring in the face of imminent global catastrophe as climate change heats up.
We simply march on in the pursuit of happiness, disregarding whether it's right or wrong, good or evil, we do it because we believe it will bring us happiness, when the tragic irony is that our ignorance only brings us suffering.
And what brings our Terraria hero happiness? Killing monsters! It's our duty! We must slay the demons! Free the bound! Protect the innocent! Even if we may wreak havoc on the world and be the catalysts for chaos and destruction. If we're seeking an archetypal hero in Terraria, or most of our games, or many of the stories we love it would Carl Jung's third archetype, The Hero.
Just like the worthy victors of the great war in the Mahabharata who, surviving the war, are thrust into madness and turn on each other until no one is left, or Guts of Berserk who reaches the end only to be thrown into a realm of ceaseless advancing demons, or the knight's errant of Arthurian legend who aimlessly battle in the quest for the ever elusive Holy Grail, or the Chosen Undead of Dark Souls who kindles the fire or walks into the abyss only to find it all reset and begin again.
So too, you, my glorious friend, may embark on an epic quest of demon slaying, taking down mighty eldritch abominations, releasing the ancient spirits of light and dark, ultimately wrecking the Moon Lord himself only to find nothing really happens, nothing really changes...
Nor do you care much, or even know much, about right or wrong, good or evil. You don't need reasons in video games, slaying monsters is your duty, it's the happiness you believe you seek and the misery that ensues. And in a tragic and beautiful and profound way, you are destined and doomed to fight this battle for eternity and beyond.
lik if u cri evrtime.
A cookie cutter approach to motivations being good and evil or the slight elaboration of that into a nine alignment system is all well and good for some storytelling, it is easier for us the listeners to relate to such characters as representatives of paradigms within ourselves, but outside the telling of a good story how accurate is this in real life?
Not very. Just like the Terraria character who rescues bound hostages or slays innocent bunnies, we too are often capable of both good and evil. And that's because ultimately everyone of us is selfish. Now selfishness may not necessarily be a bad thing if we come to understand what's really motivating our selfishness.
Philosophers worked out a long time ago that all human beings are doing is seeking happiness, we're rejecting or trying to avoid that which causes us suffering and seeking that which brings us pleasure. For this end it necessitates that it's often in our best interest to do good to others. But not always. We are after all a stupid bunch who don't really know what's good for us or for others.
Look at this wonderful understanding of the mechanics of the universe in the Theory of Relativity! Less than a decade later we used that theory to create the atom bomb (something that greatly distressed our dear Einstein). Look! We can dig fossil fuels out of the ground and have electricity! Drive cars! We're cookin' with gas now! Now we're staring in the face of imminent global catastrophe as climate change heats up.
We simply march on in the pursuit of happiness, disregarding whether it's right or wrong, good or evil, we do it because we believe it will bring us happiness, when the tragic irony is that our ignorance only brings us suffering.
And what brings our Terraria hero happiness? Killing monsters! It's our duty! We must slay the demons! Free the bound! Protect the innocent! Even if we may wreak havoc on the world and be the catalysts for chaos and destruction. If we're seeking an archetypal hero in Terraria, or most of our games, or many of the stories we love it would Carl Jung's third archetype, The Hero.
Just like the worthy victors of the great war in the Mahabharata who, surviving the war, are thrust into madness and turn on each other until no one is left, or Guts of Berserk who reaches the end only to be thrown into a realm of ceaseless advancing demons, or the knight's errant of Arthurian legend who aimlessly battle in the quest for the ever elusive Holy Grail, or the Chosen Undead of Dark Souls who kindles the fire or walks into the abyss only to find it all reset and begin again.
So too, you, my glorious friend, may embark on an epic quest of demon slaying, taking down mighty eldritch abominations, releasing the ancient spirits of light and dark, ultimately wrecking the Moon Lord himself only to find nothing really happens, nothing really changes...
Nor do you care much, or even know much, about right or wrong, good or evil. You don't need reasons in video games, slaying monsters is your duty, it's the happiness you believe you seek and the misery that ensues. And in a tragic and beautiful and profound way, you are destined and doomed to fight this battle for eternity and beyond.
lik if u cri evrtime.
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