You're half right. Drago Museveni, our progenitor, once said "For the soul of the Nietzschean, the following is true: We are arrogant. We are vain. We manipulate. We are egoistic. And we love our children." Parenting is perhaps the only time when we need not be selfish or competitive or prove dominance in any field. Our children are more than us. They're part of us, they're the future, we're their structure.

I wouldn't have done what I did, were it not to protect the future of my children. [And the truth is, he's feeling pretty betrayed by his people right now for fucking up their end of the bargain.]

But that is the exception. Your love for your children is part of your culture, ingrained in you as much as the notion that there is 'right and wrong' in mine.

Selfishness and egotism has a tendency to override any sort of love. It means putting oneself above any and everything. It means thinking of one's needs as being the most important, and if one's children is part of one- then the control over them is absolute.

It is not, however, a good way to think, or a way I agree with. It's simply how it is.

Then you don't have to agree with it. But control of them isn't absolute. They don't have to live the lives we want them to live. I would have liked for my children to remember me fondly, to try and be like me.

...Though honestly... speaking as a man as much as a Nietzschean, I hope they learn from my mistakes more than anything. [And his voice cracks a little. He covers it with clearing his throat. He misses his children a lot and he's so angry at what his people became. But Bruce isn't the person that he would want to talk about it to.]

Very well. You've established I have no emotion for my children and they're merely objects for my ultimate goals. If you are pleased, I would rather enjoy pondering the favourable points of being selfish.

It was a rhetorical 'you', Gaheris Rhade.

Was it? It's difficult to tell. [Emotionally repressed people don't communicate well. Especially since one of them is still feeling out of sorts after attempted suicide.]

It was.

My answer was not directed to be about you, but to answer you. You spoke of the parents behaving abominably, and I tried to explain why.

[ Especially since the other one is trying his best to not think of how much he fails as a parent. ]

I'm surprised. I was expecting it to correlate with degrading commentary I've received in the past. You have my apologies for the misunderstanding. [If he deals with it like a robot it's helpful.]

... I have no reason to degrade you, nor your society. [ One shouldered shrug. ]

It's fine.