Nearly
all men can
stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's
character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
As one
who grew up in the generation of paperback comics teaching us what a noble man
was, we could have these flights of fancy debating what it would really mean to
be a Superhero or Supervillain. Our discussion over who is right, Magneto or
Professor X, would reach epic proportions not seen within the chambers of the
United Nations. And yet, I understand how these moral debates shaped my values
more than actual school.
Which
brings us to our first question; if you had would you be the hero you tell
yourself you are, sacrificing yourself for others? Or would you be the villain,
only looking for your own interests? This dichotomy was best coined by Voltaire
with the phrase “With great power, comes great responsibility”. Yes, it was
Voltaire and not Uncle Ben or Stan Lee. Sorry to ruin your childhood.
Even
before him, Plato debated this moral question with the story of the Ring of
Gyges. The basic story is there’s this Ring that makes a person invisible
(sound familiar), letting a person do what he wishes without fear of being
caught of punished. Hence if all sanctions are removed, would one’s moral
character evaporate?
One
side argues that morality is only a social construct, an illusion you create
about your virtues. The other side argues that the ideals of justice are not a
social construct. He concludes that the man who abused the power of the Ring of
Gyges has in fact enslaved himself to his appetites. He continues explaining
how the man who chose not to use it remains rationally in control of himself.
Confucius,
on the other side of the planet, brought up a similar argument between the
Gentle Man (Junzi) and the Petty Man (Xiaoren). He summed up the argument with a
simple concept. “A Gentle Man only understands righteousness. A Petty Man only
understands personal profit.”
And
with that we come to our second question; when will you realize you make this
choice every day already? In Comic books, in TV, in movies, or even in books;
the level of power of a hero or a villain only determines the level of the threat
he will confront. And even then, these
challenges are even greater than their level. But the reality is this; power
only defines what they can do. It is their moral character which determines
what actions they choose.
Look
at yourself in the mirror. Who would you be with power? If they couldn’t find
out it was you, if you could get away with it, would you take advantage of
someone? If they never found out it was you, and nobody would applaud your
actions, and no reward was offered, would you still do good? Would you be a
Villain? Would you still be a Hero? Would you place your own interests first or
would you sacrifice yourself for others?
A Hero
is not the guy flying around with a cape, or beating up bad guys. A hero is the
guy whose greatest battles nobody will find out, the guy who has no interest in
the spotlight. A Villain is the guy who just looks out for himself. For him,
Evil actions are just a means to gain something for his benefit.
The
reality is we are heroes or villains already. We don’t need special powers or
gadgets or masks to make these choices. We can’t even avoid making these
choices every day. Every day you choose to be noble or choose to be petty. So, seeing how
you act and how you behave, I ask you again.
Are
you a Hero or a Villain?
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