By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
When we were children, I’m sure we have all heard our fair share of stories. In those fairytales, there would always be the hero and villain. And despite how young we were, we quickly learned that the good guy always beats the bad guy. It was simple logic for the young. And not before long, rooting for the good guys was the norm for most of us. In the eyes of a child, the world is as simple as it can be. The good guys were on the same side and the bad people on the other. However, as we grew up and experienced more of the world, the notion of good guys and bad guys became nothing more than the foolish ramblings of a child.
Humans are not so simple as to be categorized as only black and white. Some people would describe it as gray. Friends you make can betray you anytime. And enemies can make for surprisingly good friends. With every good intention covers the hidden agenda. And under the bad actions can we surprisingly find an admirable motivation for it.
With the tension between the west and Russia continuing to heat up in the Ukrainian border, most people would have already made a decision on who the good and bad guys are. But that is simply not the case. From the wests’ side they see a minor nation getting bullied and threatened. While the other interprets NATO’s actions as a mean of surrounding Russia and threatening her people. No argument is wrong and both are easily justified.
In our world that is so divided, only few can actually take the time to see their opponent’s perspective. And to know their reasoning for their actions. Unfortunately, the wounds from our past continue to bleed and affect the present time. Paranoia continues to plague many leaders around the world. Although, taking into account our history with one another, who can blame them. In the end, by seeing each other’s perspective can we hope to resolve conflicts with each other. Should we continue to see our world as 2d, then we are destined to destroy one another. A single human is already so complex. And with our numbers scaling higher than at any point of time in history, the need for a wise ruler has become more important.
We have already seen the amount of damage a tyrant can cause to his own country and neighbors. We have also seen the level of prosperity a wise ruler can bring us. The masse
As will always look to their leader as an example to follow. So, when a ruler shows the traits of understanding and consideration, then reasoning can spread among the people as a primary tool for resolving conflicts. We can finally let our heads do the talking instead of our fists. Then we can perhaps change the notion of gray being our color into a more colorful rainbow, diverse but united. **
