"Great Elder, I think taboos are nothing so extraordinary."
"When it comes to taboos, our existence as living beings, and the very fact that life possesses intelligence, are the greatest taboos in the natural world!"
"Are the sun, moon, and stars, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning-all those natural things we take for granted-truly harmonious and reasonable, without anything strange about them? No. To this day, we still do not know where primordial force comes from or what the true essence of nature is. We, too, are stumbling through the darkness like children learning to walk, not even knowing when we might fall into an unknown abyss. Why should familiarity put our minds at ease, while things we have never seen inspire fear and rejection?"
"That is the self-preservation instinct of living beings at work, judging safety by whether life continues."
"So there is no need to hold the unknown and the taboo in excessive awe. Only by choosing to accept them and become part of them can we truly understand."
"If a taboo can be understood, then every attempt to probe it is an effort that will eventually prove it is not so frightening. Perhaps, once we understand it fully, everything will suddenly become clear."
"And if a taboo is forever unknowable, if no matter how we try we can never uncover its essence, then familiarity is futile, and experience is meaningless. In that case, what use are fear and dread? How can avoiding it guarantee our safety?"
Whatever self-reflection Li Chen engaged in privately, he said nothing of the sort aloud. Instead, he laid out a whole string of reasons to defend himself.
Shen Longcheng said, "Nonsense! Sophistry! Which is more likely to bring disaster: deliberately provoking it or treating it cautiously? Which leads to a safer outcome?