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<blockquote data-quote="Cadence" data-source="post: 8637517" data-attributes="member: 6701124">On the one hand I completely understand and I am decidedly not arguing for a change in your view.But I find myself wondering why full mental control is sacrosanct, but absolute physical success is not? Is it related to (many of us) living in societies where mental illness and weakness is often looked on as a personal failure in a way that a physical breakdown isn't? I assume everyone posting here has had moments where their will power didn't hold out about something, and similarly moments where they failed physically. Why do we view the former as so much worse than the later. Why is it ok that our character fails some rolls and gets tied up and beaten or collapses from fatigue before achieving their target, but not that they find themselves (to steal from Millay) in a difficult hour, pinned down by pain and moaning for release, or nagged by want past resolution's power, driven to sell&nbsp; love they had for peace, or to trade a memory of that night for food.&nbsp;&nbsp; The speaker in the poem may not think they would, but the runner doesn't think they'll stumble either.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Cadence, post: 8637517, member: 6701124"] On the one hand I completely understand and I am decidedly not arguing for a change in your view. But I find myself wondering why full mental control is sacrosanct, but absolute physical success is not? Is it related to (many of us) living in societies where mental illness and weakness is often looked on as a personal failure in a way that a physical breakdown isn't? I assume everyone posting here has had moments where their will power didn't hold out about something, and similarly moments where they failed physically. Why do we view the former as so much worse than the later. Why is it ok that our character fails some rolls and gets tied up and beaten or collapses from fatigue before achieving their target, but not that they find themselves (to steal from Millay) in a difficult hour, pinned down by pain and moaning for release, or nagged by want past resolution's power, [I]driven [/I]to sell love they had for peace, or to trade a memory of that night for food. The speaker in the poem may not think they would, but the runner doesn't think they'll stumble either. [/QUOTE]

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