Be not brave.
Bravery is the crutch of the buffoon and a poor substitute for knowledge and skill. Experience is a tireless teacher and practice is the master’s apprentice. Mastery precludes audacity.
Fear and pain will neither be your foe nor enemy. They will be a constant companion. Much like a shadow, they may progress or recede, but they will never disappear. The walls you so expertly build will only create new reflective surfaces and they will obliterate nothing.
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Intention is always the first principle. You will help many, but harm a significant few. Intention is the common thread and it is what separates you from the knave. When intention is compromised, skill and knowledge have no backstop.
You will never be a carpenter. Your walls will be porous. They will not protect you. Good and bad humors will still exchange, just more slowly and painfully.
In the road to becoming, there will be many moments of compromise. Compromise is a well whose origins run deep. Be weary of those who proffer money and prestige. Administrators, politicians and technologists will all sleep comfortably with your decisions.
You, however, may not.
