Dearest Rachel –
I know that has to sound to you like an absurdly pretentious title; you’d think it belongs on some psych or sociology major’s graduate thesis. I realize that I sometimes refer to these letters to you as ‘essays,’ but this is a little over-the-top. And that’s more than a fair assessment.
The thing is, I woke up this morning with nothing more in my head than the axiom that the internet was all over not that long ago: “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Upon further research, it became clear why: the quote is of surprisingly recent vintage, and it’s from a superhero movie; specifically, 2008’s The Dark Knight, where it’s uttered by Gotham’s district attorney Harvey Dent (soon to become the villain Two Face, although at the moment he says this, he isn’t aware of that like the audience is). So of course, the Very Online would take the concept and run with it, with iterations ranging from the ridiculous…
…to the sublimely cute:
It’s also relatably true, to a certain extent. It’s easy to come up with someone or something you looked up to once upon a time, only to discover later on how much less admirable they are over time, or even just in real life. Among the pop culture set, Bill Cosby is a singularly appalling example, but there are certainly more lighthearted ones, such as Robert Pattinson (from the Harry Potter series to Twilight) and even Alton Brown (from the friendly edutainment of Good Eats to the somewhat sadistic competition of Cutthroat Kitchen). Even in Christian circles – and within a surprisingly small circle, geographically speaking – there have been cases in recent memory where widely-respected leaders have suffered precipitous falls from grace, throwing all the good they may have accomplished previously into the proverbial ash heap of history.
It’s the opposite of what Pastor Scott refers to as ‘finishing well,’ which is something he aspires to. However, the quote suggests that this isn’t possible, unless your time on earth is somehow cut short. You could have lived to the ripe old age of eighty-nine, just like your parents, but odds are, your mind would have been gone like that of your mom’s (although you admitted that in her last few years – apart from the many moments spent wondering where your dad was – she actually seemed happier, and less stressed, than she was when she had all of her faculties). This way, you stay young in everyone’s mind, while I run the risk of aging into a bitter curmudgeon, if I’m not careful. According to D.A. Dent, it’s either one or the other; hero or villain; die or live.
Given that the Very Online seem to be pathologically averse to certain binary choices that mankind has taken for granted for virtually all of recorded history up until these last few years, it’s surprising to me that they seized on this as some sort of axiomatic truth. Not that I necessarily disagree with it – the examples above certainly bear out the fact that it does describe certain people’s character arc (although with that phrase being said, actors in particular shouldn’t be faulted for making such choices, as the meatiest roles in many forms of media tend to be that of the villains) – but I think of it as a gross oversimplification at the very least, and not really true for the vast majority of us.
For one, very few of us actually get to be heroes at any point in our lives. Sure, we may be lionized upon our departure – nobody speaks ill of the dead, apart from certain churlish knaves thinking they’re making a political point by mocking someone they consider to be an ‘enemy’ – but as a rule, most of us have yet to receive our Warholian fifteen minutes within our lifetimes. It may be that we’re just not far enough into the future yet.
Or maybe it’s that we just don’t all get to be heroes. Those that do are those that find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and respond with a certain level of valor to it. It doesn’t hurt that the truest heroes will generally exude an “aw shucks, I was just doin’ what anyone would do in the situation” attitude toward their adulation. Those three things in combination don’t come to just anyone.
And part of the reason for that? Deep down, in fact, we’re born villains – that is, if you believe in the concept of original sin. We may want to see ourselves as basically good – many people claim to believe that, and it’s often part of why we try to act that way – but we all can agree that ‘nobody’s perfect.’ And if we’re not perfect, then we’re not good, either.
[L For] A person who ·follows [keeps; obeys] all of God’s law but ·fails to obey even one command [L stumbles/falls in one point] is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.
James 2:10, Expanded Bible
We are not heroes by nature – only circumstance and reaction can propel us there for a moment or two – and as such, we regress to our normal state, absent any compelling external force pushing us to be better. In a way, Harvey Dent was right; just not for the reasons he might have thought.
And those are my thoughts for the day, honey. Keep an eye on me, and see if you can be part of that external force on me.
Letters to Rachel 