Hero or Tyrant?

Hero or Tyrant? A very thin line divides the two, one next to the other sometimes can be the same.

The only registries of our existence in this world are the archives of history, but even history it’s written by men, and mankind is subjective and capricious. Many of the greatest artists the world has known, lived an infamous life misunderstood by the society of their time and died in the anonymity, just for some centuries later the people could say “We were wrong.”

In the ancient Rome considered by many as the pilasters of actual civilization, many outrageous crimes were committed in the name of the Caesar, but yet many of the small tribes surrendered to the empire, not conquered but by decision, because even under control and paying tax and tribute, their life was better below the shadow of the great whore. Maybe the dream of Rome still shined as bright to warm up the beliefs of some disconcerted persons.

During all the conflicts the man have endured, many people sacrificed themselves, doing the dirty work, posing as villains for history books, holding the heavy feeling of guilt upon their shoulders. The most terrible sad cases, fought for their ideals out of the record.

In the incoming years many things will be told to the new generations about what we did, but they must consider, history books just portrait the big events, the war of societies, but never the individual fight, the fight engaged in the silence, fueled by our experiences, goals and motivations.

Most of us will be classed as villains and tyrants, and maybe just a few will be considered as patriots, justifying the means by the goal achieved. The truth is: all of us are criminals, the only difference is the glory of victory delivered by the society.

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II were celebrated as one of the biggest achievements—putted end to the biggest conflict the man has endured. But the true lays beyond that, by those bombings more people died—in the long term—than the produced in concentration camps in years. They were also farmers and normal people not soldiers, even their emperor declared Total War—an action in which the entire population must fight the alien enemy.

People can believe that action prevented more deceases, but the reality it’s far away of that. Keeping that “Peace” we enjoyed after the conflict had a high cost, in fact War never ended, just reshaped in a more sinister and dark fight, the Cold War, now taking place in a more subtle battlefield, where everybody is a soldier without knowing. If in the past the enemy has a well-recognized face—fascism—now it doesn’t. War is incredible profitable, and poor people fights someone else’s fights, just for convenience.

How can a war worth enough sacrifice? I don’t know and the truth is nobody knows, nor person or religion. The only measure I can imagine is the sake of our children, the true victims in our conflicts, the ones who were involved not by choice, but by our desire. Everyone who want to start a revolution must think first if his goal is enough important for sacrifice our children? I ask myself this as one of those children, born in the conflict of our antecessors.

Truly, humankind needs changes, but it’s sad to see how changes in history are perpetuated just with violence. I believe everybody should learned more from our good pal Gandhi.

Brothers and sisters are outside fighting a daily war, unnamed heroes that try to change things for good. We as individuals must change to prosecute our society to a better end. We are the underdog, 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 to fulfill their mission, and then understanding their efforts, we will wear our uniforms, and join the common cause—most of the times forgotten in our greedy—that is as simple as make this world a better place for everyone. But we will be capable for pay the price that peace demands? Will be able to be humble beyond any interest?

M. Ch. Landa