"When we speak about categorical imperative, we must remember how crazy Immauel Kant was.Truly this man was insane, but then again, when are contemporary philosophers sane?" I said in a tone that obviously was meant to be sarcastic, but I had long since abandoned waiting for laughs. "Categorical Imperative was Kant's belief in how all decisions should be based on morals, much like Locke's natural rights theory, however Kant went far beyond Locke's theory and asserted natural rights in a way that without religion almost seemed absurd, however....." I trailed on, filling up possibly only feeding information to half of the students attending the course, half seemed to be pompous kids who didn't care about the course they were taking.

That half seemed to be kids who ignorantly followed fate, with no purpose, no goal. It made 'Kael sick. 'Kael didn't think himself the best giver of lectures, in fact, it seemed he berated himself everyday, but there were children, without a doubt, taking this course, who didn't give a damn about philosophy. All of the "intrinsic good" he talked about obviously was not appropriate to these children. They were sated enough off of the hedonism spread across the world, and cared nothing for communitarianism or even utilitarianism. No, they only cared for themselves, feeding off of the world's universal religion of survival of the richest and well-off.

'Kael tried to keep his course discussion-based, he tried to emulate the great Socrates, and to a certain extent that made it more interesting. But only a select few voiced their opinions, the rest would just raise their hands in a sloth-like manner to back one side of a "poll" or another.

'Kael was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of his internal clock, which was impatiently reminding him to stop lecturing lest he ruin his reputation. 'Kael concluded with the same words as always, "And that, my dear disciples, concludes this session!" He learned a few sessions after he started teaching that saying something like "My door is always open," doesn't help, and its best to leave it unsaid.

'Kael packed up his things and left the auditorium, going to the teacher's lounge. It was always the same routine, his students didn't wish to speak to him at all, and therefore dispatched themselves quickly, but not without noise. Nevertheless, 'Kael arrived at the teacher's lounge without any trouble. Once he arrived, he opened the door and noticed how they spoke in a gay manner. This brought the ever-so-present feelings of envy and anger rising back up, but 'Kael locked them up from physical view.

From the group Conchar was the one to notice his arrival. He announced it with his usual congeniality, "Oi, guys 'Kael decided to join us today! There's a seat available next to 'ole Guy over there!"

"Guy" or Guillaume was a pensive introvert, he didn't seem to like talking that much. Although 'Kale respected his silence, he still asserted that voicing your opinion was an essential part of communities. Nevertheless, of all the people 'Kale would prefer to sit next to it would be Guy, who didn't give you any flak about the things you said.

Conchar "unpaused" the previous discussion, "As I was sayin' before Mr. 'Kael came along, me students just love this new flipped classroom format I got setup. Basically I allow the class to be less of me speaking to these kids and boring them with facts, and more of us speakin' as equals," he asserted his statement with a nod.

This time Sweyn spoke up, "So all of your kids are just loving engineering huh? I seem to notice the same thing with the kids in my Physics class...It's like a neo-Enlightenment!"

'Kael scoffed at this, it was incredulous that these men truly compared the awe-inducing change in the world known as the Enlightenment with a huge loss of interest in so many subjects and a paltry "status quo ante" for engineering and sciences, if not a loss.

Conchar noticed 'Kael irritation, "So ya'll got somethin' to say 'Kael? We're all friends here so, let yer words spring forth!"

'Kael was so irritated by Conchar's mutilation of the English language, a language that was such an effort to build. A composite language built up of the native languages and the languages of England's invaders. Even so, that was not the biggest thing that ticked 'Kael off. No, the biggest disgrace that the people around 'Kael brought upon him was their ignorance. Ignorance of the horrible path so many are setting for their children, of the horrid way that children treat their lives, living off of material objects with gluttony. The way that men now used religion to control each other in a way that went beyond the ways of the inquisitors and Catholic fanatics of the times long time passed. Why were children directing their fleeting attention at engineering and sciences, topics which were so well-fed by the 20th century, and not topics which have been neglected...like philosophy for an example... Not that he was going to voice his emotions to the crowd around him...speaking of that crowd...

'Kael stopped abruptly as he noticed the fact that everyone around him was staring at him in a very rude manner, including Guy. 'Kael voiced his meditations as such, "What? Is something wrong with my presence all of a sudden?"

Surprisingly, it was Guy who voiced the group's thoughts, "No...It's just that your whole rant was very... peculiar...albeit insightful..."

'Kael's eyes widened...He voiced those ranting thoughts...Oh Lord....He couldn't stay there any longer knowing what had just conspired. Thus, 'Kael raced to escape, not without noticing Conchar's exclaim of the need to, "Hold up, we need to speak about this in a group!" As if 'Kael was going to return after the stain on his record he had just caused. He let himself loose again, and this is what he gained in return. All he tried to do was teach the children of the world about the subject he so loved, and this is what he gained. 'Kael continued his brooding as he raced to the roof of the complex.

'Kael reached the roof and keeled over crying for the first time in so many years. It wasn't the fact that he voiced his opinions, or the fact that he ruined his status. No, that wasn't it. Rather it was the fact that it had gone so wrong since he started teaching, and it never seemed to get better. There never seemed to be a mental feeling of satisfaction, just the hated feeling for some tangible achievement. He always came up to this roof to escape reality, but reality wouldn't leave his head....no it was on a crusade, a crusade to ruin all that was left of his sanity, and he wasn't about to let it go down without a fight.

He tried to drown it in thoughts of the love he used to have, of the happiness he used to procure, but that only seemed to get him in a melancholy mood. He felt a well-known dagger of turmoil return to his diaphragm, and now it seemed like it was being pulled out, only to be shoved back in again. Every repetition of the stab brought more and more despair, and he seemed to not be in the right state of mind to endure it anymore, he felt life leaving him, even though he saw nothing physical, and slowly he gave in to the emptiness of a, now, peaceful mind...the Philosopher's Cynosure...

Author's Notes:

I hope you liked this attempt, I decided to pace myself and work on length, since I always seem to make short chapters, but this seems to have been a significantly longer chapter. By the way, this is just setting up for the adventure in Equestria, and I like setting up. Hoped you liked the names, I decided to mix up the names, so if there are any questions, don't heistate to ask. Also, don't get caught up in the way I speak, I may use archaic meanings of words...but bear with me because its an essential part of my story development. Have a wonderful break off with your families, and a happy Winter Solstice!