"'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.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteI 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