“I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel like something I want to read.”

Claire was confused at Doyle’s obstinance. “But why?” She wanted to know.

“I don’t agree with what he’s saying or implying. It’s all flawed.”

Claire sat down with Doyle, who seemed to ignore her by immersing himself in his book, Lost Winds.

“And this isn’t flawed, little brother?”

“It’s well thought-out.” Doyle flipped the page, “Whereas Meditations by the Red Emperor is not.”

“Meditations is widely read by scholars and academics alike, and it’s the book written by the man who founded the Empire of the Sun. How could you say it’s not worth reading?”

“Because I don’t agree with the Red Emperor.” Doyle made a show of putting the book between his face and Claire’s.

Claire reached over to the book and pulled it downward with a finger, exposing Doyle’s frustrated look.

“You know Claire, when someone puts something between you and them, that means they don’t want to be disturbed.”

“No, but as your older sister I’m seeing a concerning trend. Last week you walked out on Timmy and they told me that you’re actively avoiding them. Is it because of the disagreement?”

“Yes. Exactly. Timmy and I disagree fundamentally, and I decided I don’t need that in my life.” Doyle spun around in his seat and faced away from Claire. “Now leave me alone too.”

Claire put her hands onto her hips as she stared down disapprovingly. “You’re avoiding people and books simply because you disagree with them?”

“Yes. My happiness is more important than —”

“Than finding out if you’re wrong?” Claire had swung over to the other side and bent down to look at Doyle, who glared at her.

“I’m not wrong.”

“You’re filtering out ideas you disagree with without engaging with them, how would you know? Your stance isn’t tested.” Claire gave him her signature look of pity. “You risk being right only in the world you choose to see. Head Scholar Panmoru told us to be worry about this sort of censorship.”

“I don’t need to test my stance, and what’s wrong with that?” Doyle leaned back, giving up on getting her to leave. “If I could just apply a filter and block anything from my life, I would. I don’t need that getting in the way of a nice happy mental state.”

“You’d rather be happy at the risk of being wrong?”

“What if I’m right already?” Doyle responded angrily, “I’m not excited about the Red Emperor’s opinions that I disagree with, like ‘Regrets are just a painful reminder that we chose otherwise.‘ Who needs to be reminded of that? Reading things like Meditations or interacting with people like Timmy just burns me out and sours my mood.”

“Timmy merely made a statement of their observations.” Claire gave Doyle a look of reproach. “You’re going to remove them from your life because Timmy said that in their observation, the mursashu care about money more than they care about friendships?”

“I’ll have you remember that the mursashu saved our lives, Claire. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them, and I seriously don’t have the emotional energy to argue with you right now. It’s a waste of time. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Leave me alone. If you like being wrong and being reminded of how much life is about suffering, you can read Meditations by yourself. Leave me out of it.” Doyle laid himself down on the bench and made a show of covering his face and eyes. “You’re ruining my happiness. Do you not care if I’m happy?”

“Not if it means closing your eyes to the world.”

“Oh, is that so? Well what about when you read Scholar Enma’s analysis of the Northern Tribes and found his ideas distasteful?” Doyle’s words seemed muffled from behind his hand, but Claire heard him nevertheless. “I seem to recall you saying that Scholar Enma’s opinion was baseless and he’s the most cited expert on the Northern Tribes. You disagreed with him because you think women should be in power and he concluded that their matriarchal family structure contributed to their decline, right?”

Claire flushed. “Yes, but I finished reading his writing regardless.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Doyle shifted his hand, an eye glinting out between his fingers as he glanced at Claire.

“No, I still think he’s wrong.” Claire paced about, biting a knuckle. “But that’s the entire reason why Head Scholar Panmoru reminds us to always assume we might be wrong.”

“Heh, and look how much that has improved your life.” Doyle reached for the book and held it open over his face, flipping around and looking for the page he had left. “Leave me out of it.”

“Do you not want to improve your own thinking and challenge it with formed opinions defended by other intellectuals?”

“Not if it means I become less happy with my life.” Doyle flipped a page again. “I’d rather be happy, and filtering out things I disagree with is just a necessary choice.”

“Life is more than self indulgence.” Claire turned her back to him and began walking away. “You’ll end up regretting it.”

“I already regret choosing to engage with you on this topic,” Doyle sighed. “Go away. Let me be happy.”