Lately I find myself troubled by the gravitas we humans
afford the great conquerors: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan
and the rest. These men carved illustrious careers from the business of causing
death and all manner of suffering to countless numbers of mostly innocent
people, and for what? Mostly, I would suggest, for the purpose of
self-aggrandisement.
So what of those whose efforts were driven by and directed towards humanitarian principles – Ghandi, Mandela, Mother Theresa? They’re famous too, are they not? Yes they are. We laud them as people who made a difference for good and they have a page of honour in the history books. But the conquerors have much more than that. The conquerors become legends.
This appears to be a central feature of the human condition, and it disturbs me.
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