Hero or Tyrant? A thin line divides the two, and side by side they can sometimes be the same.
The only records of our existence in this world are the archives of history, but even history is written by man, and humanity tends to be subjective and capricious. Many of the great artists the world has known lived infamous lives misunderstood by the society of their time and died in anonymity, only to have people say a few centuries later “we were wrong.”
In ancient Rome, considered by many to be the pillars of our current civilization, many heinous crimes were committed in the name of Caesar, but even so many of the small tribes surrendered to the empire, not by conquest but by decision, because even under control and paying taxes and tributes, her life was better under the shadow of the great prostitute. Perhaps, the dream of Rome still shines so brightly to encourage the beliefs of some bewildered.
Throughout the conflicts that man has suffered, many people sacrificed themselves doing the dirty work, posing as villains for the history books, carrying the heavy feeling of guilt on their men. The saddest cases, they fought for their ideals outside the records.
In the years to come many things will be told to the new generations about what we did, but they must consider, history books only portray the great events, the wars of society, but never the individual struggles, the fights confronted in silence. , fueled by our experiences, goals and motivations.
Most of us will be classified as tyrannical villains for our evil actions, and only some will be considered heroes or patriots, justifying the means by the goals achieved. The truth is: we are all criminals, the only difference is the glory of victory granted by society.
The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II were celebrated as a great achievement—they ended the greatest conflict that man has ever endured. But the truth lies beyond that, more people died from these bombings in the long term than the deaths caused by concentration camps in years. They were peasants and normal people, not soldiers, even though their emperor had declared Total War—an action in which the entire population is forced to fight the enemy.
People may believe that this action prevented more deaths, but the reality is far from that. Maintaining the “Peace” that we enjoyed after the conflict had a high cost, in fact the war never ended, it only transformed into a more sinister and dark battle. The Cold War, now taking place on a more subtle battlefield, where everyone is a soldier without knowing it. If in the past, the enemy had a well-recognized face—fascism—it does not have it now. War is extremely profitable, and the poor fight the war of the rich, out of convenience.
How can war be worth such a sacrifice? I don't know and the truth is that no one knows, neither person nor religion. The only measure I can imagine is the well-being of our children, the true victims in our conflicts, who were involved not by decision, but by our desire. Anyone who wants to start a revolution must first think if the goal is important enough to sacrifice our children.
Humanity truly needs changes, but it is sad to see how changes in history are perpetuated by violence. I think we should all learn from our good friend Gandhi.
Brothers and sisters fight a daily war, nameless heroes trying to change things for the better. We as individuals must change to lead our society to a better end. We are the ones who stand to lose, but we still have a chance, a few words of gratitude and recognition to those nameless soldiers—not of war but of life—can help them fulfill their mission and by understanding their efforts, we will wear our uniforms and We will join the community cause—most often forgotten by our ambition—which is as simple as making a better world for everyone. But will we be able to pay the price that peace demands? Will we be able to be humble beyond any interest?
M. Ch. Landa
