The Difference Between Good/Evil and Heroes/Villains in Ultimate Randomness

Some people might agree with me, some may not, but as I drove around earlier, I realized that there is a world of difference between good vs. evil and heroes vs. villains. I mean, good and evil are pretty clear cut. At least at first glance. Good and evil are in the perception of the people who tell the story that is life. To prove my point, let me present some hypothetical situations. This may be controversial for some, but it is only used to prove my point. Imagine you have a young male back in Germany in the early 1930's as the Nazi Party was coming into power. Now, at that time, even with Hitler's presence, it was a party about the workers. It was a party for the people against the rich and powerful. So this young man joins up, while also becoming part of the German army. Ten years pass, this young man has grown wiser and has seen what those people he helped put in power are capable of. To his surprise, he gets assigned as a guard at a concentration camp. As soon as he sees the horrors that are being perpetrated by the camp leaders, he decides he needs to do something. He finds a way to talk to the prisoners in private and secretly, they formulate a plan to take over the camp and then help the prisoners to escape. The night the coup is supposed to take place, the leaders of the resistance, including our guard, fall into a trap. Somehow, the leaders of the camp have discovered their plans. In retaliation, the leaders put all of the prisoners and the guard to death. New prisoners come into the camp and all traces of the last group and our guard are wiped from existence. Years later, our guard's name comes up in documentation of members of a group assigned to guard Hitler at one time. Because all traces of the man were destroyed regarding his assignment to the camp, it is assumed that our guard has fled. He is tried in absentia, found guilty, and sentenced to death should he ever be found. In later years, his name is used as the name of a character in a movie about WWII. Our guard is considered as evil as all the rest of the Nazi soldiers. Now, would you consider the man a hero based on his attempted actions or would you remember him as history remembers him? Unfortunately, if you didn't know the story, and how could you, the answer is probably the second option. But it makes you wonder, is it necessary to succeed to be considered a hero?

Now, consider you have a politician. He is a man of the people. He donates money to all sorts of charities, including his congressional pay. In fact, the only perks he takes are housing and meals. He drives a Ford, pays his taxes, volunteers when he is able to. Over time, his success as an orator and his constant ability to be reelected raise his profile and starts to convert other politicians to his methods. Eventually, this man becomes the President of the United States, the country goes through an era of prosperity never before seen, and alot of the ills that struck the country in the past become just that: the past. In time, he is remembered as one of the greatest men to ever live and his impact is felt in the world for centuries. But as we all know, a politician needs money to gain office. So the question becomes, where did his money come from? There is not anyone around to tell the tale by the time he comes into power, but if there were, they would know that this man gained his fortune as a human trafficker. Sex trafficking, illegal adoptions, slavery. He moved people. Literally. When he realized what he could achieve in the political arena, he personally killed his lieutenants, the only people who could connect him to anything. There is no paperwork for such things after all and our man, he never lived beyond his means. He made sure his life looked humble so as not to raise suspicion. It is entirely possible this man is remembered as the greatest man who ever lived, but would you call him a good man? Sure, he will be remembered as a hero, but does all the good he did exonerate him of the methods he used to get there? Seeing as we only know what happened after he came into politics, the answer is that he will be remembered as a hero for all time. Makes ya think, doesn't it?

I will be honest, all of this conjecture came about for selfish reasons. The point I was trying to make with all of this is that everyone sees me as a good person. Now, I am certainly not the person I wrote about immediately above. I am not an evil man. But, it is true that, whether it is my fault or not, the people who are closest to me suffer. Having me in their life in any way is detrimental. And they all seem to want to have me in their lives. In fact, most everyone thinks I am a great guy and wants me to be happy and succeed in life. But unless you step back, you cannot see how much the people closest to me have suffered as a result of knowing me. Sure, it is probably just my bad luck rubbing off on them, but it doesn't change the fact that it is my fault they hurt. Admittedly, this has all been an overly dramatic way of making a point, but at the end of the day, I just wanted people to think about how they perceive others, good or bad. Or maybe I am just crazy.