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Only one millimeter away: hero and villain. No human should have definite labels, for we are all combinations of both good and evil. To me, the word “hero” means a perfect, majestic being that only helps the world and will not harm even the littlest organisms. Therefore, it is simply invalid to call someone a hero unless they are not human since we are all imperfect in our own ways.
To many people, soldiers and veterans are the heroes of their society. However, if you turn the word around and look at it from a different perspective, you will see that our so-called heroes might actually be villains to others. From the point of view of the opponents, our “heroes” are slaughtering them to defend our nation. Aren’t we just shedding blood like villains for our own wellbeing and safety? Aren’t we just destroying families of our rivals by taking their loved ones away? What exactly is the difference between a hero and a villain? We, as both heroes and villains, fight for what we believe in. The only way that others can tell you apart from good and evil is by their own morals. Standing in a neutral viewpoint, there is no way to define a person as everyone is within the gray zone of good and evil, hero and villain.
For instance, in the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul the protagonist enlisted with his friends to protect his country, Germany, and to keep its name in high authorities during the World War I. As he fought to defend, he took away the lives of his enemies for what he believed in. To Germans, Paul was a brave soldier, sacrificing his life in combat for his country. However, to the rivals, Paul was a foe, slaying their people for his own duty. In this case, he was viewed as both a hero and villain, depending on the viewpoints from different countries. No matter which perspective was taken in account of, Paul was neither completely good nor evil. He was a mixture of both, since he had murdered to defend, but the fact that the victims were also human beings with a beating heart will not change.
Should someone who kills another for his loved ones be defined as a hero or a villain? Many may have different answers to this question. However, to me, he would be both. His loved ones would consider him as a hero for sure, since he is fighting to protect. In another perspective, he is indeed a villain; he is, in fact, murdering another human being with feelings, families, friends. No one can define another as solely good or evil. Everyone has his or her own opinions based on the morals that he or she believes in. That’s okay because some things in life simply cannot be classified, even if our human nature tells us to do so.
To many people, soldiers and veterans are the heroes of their society. However, if you turn the word around and look at it from a different perspective, you will see that our so-called heroes might actually be villains to others. From the point of view of the opponents, our “heroes” are slaughtering them to defend our nation. Aren’t we just shedding blood like villains for our own wellbeing and safety? Aren’t we just destroying families of our rivals by taking their loved ones away? What exactly is the difference between a hero and a villain? We, as both heroes and villains, fight for what we believe in. The only way that others can tell you apart from good and evil is by their own morals. Standing in a neutral viewpoint, there is no way to define a person as everyone is within the gray zone of good and evil, hero and villain.
For instance, in the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul the protagonist enlisted with his friends to protect his country, Germany, and to keep its name in high authorities during the World War I. As he fought to defend, he took away the lives of his enemies for what he believed in. To Germans, Paul was a brave soldier, sacrificing his life in combat for his country. However, to the rivals, Paul was a foe, slaying their people for his own duty. In this case, he was viewed as both a hero and villain, depending on the viewpoints from different countries. No matter which perspective was taken in account of, Paul was neither completely good nor evil. He was a mixture of both, since he had murdered to defend, but the fact that the victims were also human beings with a beating heart will not change.
Should someone who kills another for his loved ones be defined as a hero or a villain? Many may have different answers to this question. However, to me, he would be both. His loved ones would consider him as a hero for sure, since he is fighting to protect. In another perspective, he is indeed a villain; he is, in fact, murdering another human being with feelings, families, friends. No one can define another as solely good or evil. Everyone has his or her own opinions based on the morals that he or she believes in. That’s okay because some things in life simply cannot be classified, even if our human nature tells us to do so.
