Book #4 - And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

[Dee]

I know exactly what you are getting at here but in fact I don't think real love does get in the way - in fact I think it is only real love that could make the choice Saboor made; love does not act for the self but always for the welfare and happiness of the loved. And that - I would say - is the same for any parent anywhere. It was the same for the parents of those being evacuated in wars in not-too-distant past and those in wars of the present.
Sentimentality is not the same as love and can definitely obstruct its course.

Yes, Moonchime, that's exactly what I meant, only you expressed it way more eloquently and precisely than I did.

[Dee]

By purer do you mean "innocent?"

Not quite. "Innocent" for me suggests that a person doesn't quite grasp the full scale of human nature. They focus on the good parts. They're naive. They have the best intentions but not fully equipped yet to understand possible consequences.

For me "pure" means that you stay good and selfless despite the wisdom you gain of the world, of people.

I think some people waive their respect of their rights if they totally ignore those of others. I suppose such a question is central to how a nation/government decides on laws and consequences.

Difficult eh?

No kidding. I don't envy the responsibilities of government. One of the main problems we are having in our world right now is that we have a gaping void of pure people in power. It feels particularly bad right now, but it's never been easy, because politicians by the nature of their job need to be calculating, cunning. And then comes their strive for power, even if it's only motivated by wanting to get things done they believe to be right. But power is a dangerous thing, and most fall victim to its temptations. We can see how even the purest can get corrupted when they gain power. This appears to be an eternal insurmountable problem.