chain...

PICARD: When children learn to devalue others, they can devalue anyone, including their parents.
MADRED: What a blind, narrow view you have. What an arrogant man you are. What do you know of Cardassian history?
PICARD: I know that once you were a peaceful people with a rich spiritual life.
MADRED: And what did peace and spirituality get us? People starved by the millions. Bodies went unburied. Disease was rampant. Suffering was unimaginable.
PICARD: Since the military took over hundreds of thousands more have died.
MADRED: But we are feeding the people. We acquired territory during the wars. We developed new resources. We initiated a rebuilding programme. We have mandated agricultural programmes. That is what the military has done for Cardassia. And because of that, my daughter will never worry about going hungry.
PICARD: Her belly may be full, but her spirit will be empty.


PICARD: Must be rewarding to you to repay others for all those years of misery.
MADRED: What do you mean?
PICARD: Torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders that it's still practiced.
MADRED: I fail to see where this analysis is leading.
PICARD: Whenever I look at you now, I won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six year old boy who is powerless to protect himself.
MADRED: Be quiet.
PICARD: In spite of all you've done to me, I find you a pitiable man.


Nothing else needs to be said.

Let's go on an adventure

You know what irks me about this place?
It's the fact that people here are so bloody unable to believe that money and an easy job is not everything.

They have forgotten there may be passion. And ambition built upon passion, not upon the accumulation of wealth.

giRaffe is irked by the fact that when she says she wishes to go out of this place, people assumes she does it because she thinks that things might be easier elsewhere or money might come more quickly. And then they try to tell her, like they are so experienced and so knowledgeable, you know, everyone who goes out realises that life is very hard out there. Believe me, you have to stay here because life is much easier back home.
giRaffe wishes to scream to them, giRaffe doesn't wish to get out of this place because she wants an easier life. She knows there are going to be difficulties outside, and life is going to be much easier for her back home. But it is precisely because of these difficulties that giRaffe wishes to go out. She wishes to stretch herself, to see more, to learn more, to grow more. She longs for a chance to face greater challenges and achieve greater satisfaction. And she longs for somewhere she can really let her passion for what she does grow. She wishes to see and experience new possibilities and even though they might come with more sweat and toil, giRaffe believes they will be worth it.

Because you see, giRaffe doesn't want to go through her life just going through everyday. giRaffe can be assured of a very comfortable living just doing what she does for the rest of her life, and certainly, giRaffe does gain a sense of satisfaction at most of the work she does. But giRaffe always longs for more. For bigger challenges, for further limits.

giRaffe chooses what she does based upon the amount of good she believes she can do and the challenges there are. Never based upon the amount of money. Why is it so hard for people around her to accept that? And giRaffe sometimes chooses to do things which are difficult rather than easy because she believes she can stretch herself a little bit more. Why is it so difficult for people to accept that?

giRaffe is not saying that people shouldn't want an easy life, a comfortable living. giRaffe likes that too. giRaffe loves that. giRaffe does wish she has lots of money too. But giRaffe also longs for something more that simply a comfortable living, especially in things she is passionate about. And when she has to make a choice, giRaffe has no qualms giving up some of that comfortable living in exchange for adventures. giRaffe is not saying everyone must be like her (after all won't the world be a horribly boring place if everyone is alike?), but that please do believe and accept the fact that giRaffe might prioritise things differently from you.

giRaffe's Little One likes a comfortable life too. And a comfortable furry blankie.

giRaffe feels very constricted here by the things she can do, but more than that, she feels stifled by people's beliefs and expectations. There are so many who are afraid to jump out of the box, to dare to try something different, to live life as a huge adventure. And worse than that, there are those who not only refuses to jump into the adventure of their life, they are fearful of letting others do so too. Because they are afraid of the unknown, and the uncertain, and of people not fitting nicely into their boxes, they try to prevent anyone from doing things that they cannot imagine.

Maybe, just maybe, giRaffe is afraid of being ordinary.