"This teaches us a lesson, my dear lady: stay on the moral high ground as long as possible, and seize every second so you can condemn any evil that may or may not actually exist around you."
"So, be a hypocrite?" Pamela seemed to have had her funny bone tickled. She lifted her teacup to hide her less-than-polite grin.
"That usually has its advantages." Schiller smiled as he added water to the teapot, turned its lid to the proper position, then straightened the cup before him. After glancing at Pamela, he said, "Our nature prevents us from sincerely being good people unless there is something to gain from it. But many people place too much importance on tangible benefits and forget the moral standing that can give them an advantage in conversation."
"So what exactly should one do?"
"First, seize the moral high ground."
"What if there is no moral high ground?" Pamela said, as though deliberately making things difficult. "Take Talia, for example. She came to cause trouble for you in a fury, and she did have reason to. Your student drugged her during their date. On that matter alone, you are standing in a moral ditch."
"Then create some moral high ground."
Pamela leaned forward with great interest. She watched Schiller pour water from the teapot into his own cup, very slowly, as though observing the flow.
"You can try to 'forgive' others."
"Forgive? All right, I understand. Make yourself seem tolerant and kind, make yourself look like a good person. But that cannot be universally applicable, can it? We are discussing situations where we are in the wrong..."
"Then forgive her first."
"Huh?"
Pamela let out a baffled little breath. She stared at Schiller in confusion, as though he were talking nonsense, and repeated herself. "I mean,