"'What can I do, then, to help?'
"'The hardest thing of all: sit tight.'" (p. 94)
Leah is persuaded that she should not know of clandestine activities because she could be arrested and interrogated.
(This post is illustrated with a cover of Beau Sabreur because, somewhere in PC Wren's Beau Trilogy, a man who wants to help is asked to do the most difficult thing: nothing.)
There are times when the right thing to do, the best thing to do and the only thing to do is nothing. There are people to whom I should apologize but will not either because they are dead or because I no longer have access to them or because they would not appreciate the bringing up of the past. They might have forgotten a particular incident or no longer regard it as important or think that, by mentioning it, I am merely salving my conscience. But, if all the circumstances were favorable, then an apology would be appropriate.
This is a personal reflection, not otherwise relevant to Poul Anderson's text.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, sometimes the best thing to do is simply to do nothing. Because any attempt to solve problems or crises are more likely than not to fail.
Sean
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