15: Dual Purpose
“Can a sword be used for peace?”
The master’s answer was immediate. “Absolutely not.” She thought for a moment, then added, “Unless you are being a smartass and saying that the dead are quiet peaceful, in which case, sure, whatever.”
“I’m not being a smartass,” her student clarified. “I just wondered if swords could do something other than, you know, cut.”
“A sword’s only purpose is to cut. It has no other purpose, no second thing. It is a dividing tool, used only to separate one thing from another. You must understand this or you will never understand anything.”
The student’s face showed confusion, “Can peace not be accomplished through division?”
“Not true peace,” the master replied, then shrugged, “but a false peace can be better than nothing, sometimes.”
“And sometimes things must be separated before they can be better joined together,” the student added, thoughtfully.
The master laughed, delighted. “Yes, very good! You have been paying attention after all.”
“So really,” continued her student, “a sword can bring about peace, right? Sometimes.”
“Sometimes,” agreed the master. “Though I don’t recommend it unless you’ve no other option. It can be quite messy.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve done it before,” the master replied mildly, “and it was quite a mess.”
“When?”
“I’ll tell you some other time.”