Symphony No. 3 in E Major

(As Holmes says to Watson:)

Virtue is a thing that is less simple
To intuitively recognize than the common public imagines, John.
It is the plight of the observant to notice
That which will cause other people inconvenience
Much more readily and quickly than others notice.
Thereupon the observer faces a moral obligation
Previously unknown to him, and not necessarily pleasant:
To prevent the sort of accident predicted
From becoming a reality.
But it is a fruitless task to try and plug up
With corks spun out of thin air
The gaps in other peoples' consciousness
That cause other people so much in the way of problems.
There is not much virtue in being such a martyr, either;
I think if there is a God, that is all he is doing at present,
Patching up the potholes in the unfortunate lives of billions
Of people too foolish to even realize that they've got holes.
Like the British government is wont to do, people prefer
To believe that the roads they build and drive upon are immaculate.
It is much better, in my opinion,
To let the gaps become apparent to the person on the road
And allow them to seek a remedy on their own behalf.
Who knows, they might discover
That they are more able to save themselves
Than they'd ever have previously thought!
But frequently they come to me.
Thank God at least some of these problems present
Some element of genius!
Too often the things that escape others' attention
Are relevant exclusively to them, and only of mundane interest.
And then by the time the issues are obvious,
The causes and effects are also just as obvious
And unworthy of any thought whatsoever,
For they are indeed elementary and logical courses of events.
In short, John, I could devote my life to very different ends,
Be the type of person that, before a problem arises,
Takes upon the task of correcting it.
But this would be an endless struggle,
And a less than fulfilling one.
I prefer to allow people to make their mistakes
And then, if they care to try, ask me to help
Mop up the mess that they've made of their lives.
I can be Hercules, but not Sisyphus.
Do you understand?