Family Feedback

Yesterday I was standing around chatting with two acquaintances at the place I usually hang out. One of these people is a ranking officer in the Monastery, while the other was a High Lord of the Family. I told them that I was engaged in research and was exploring both the role of the Monastery and the Family Crown in national education. Their responses were interestingly similar.

The monk said, "Hey, of course I will help out. Here's my arcane sigil; just send word to me and I will help you. Somebody ought to do this sort of thing, and if not you, who?"

The lord said, "Hey, it's about time. Any right-thinking persons should want feedback on their performance, no matter how good the agricultural output looks. How can I help?"

The consensus, after half an hour, was that institutions of public character should be under public scrutiny, or have that status revoked. Transparency and good corporate governance are the order of the day. Back-room deals and lousy human resource management should be things of the past. And the light of the morning should banish the obfuscation of the dark.

The instrumentalities of the night are powerful, says Glen Cook. But we have the wherewithal to baulk them and perhaps diminish or scatter them. And if they engage in open warfare, then the stakes are high indeed.

My two companions concur; one man said, "Silver and faith can turn the tide."