The Defeated Hero
We lose — and we grow angry. We win — and we rejoice, breaking into laughter. Whether in war, in sport, or in love, no one ever wishes to embrace defeat. To win — by any means, at any cost — that alone seems to be salvation. Is there not a saying, There is nothing unfair in war and love ? The greater part of humanity across the globe has accepted that competition is the highest form of democracy. Whatever be the culture of the world, whatever be its history, it is ultimately Western man’s cult of hero-worship that reigns supreme. We, the darker and dusky people of the East, have humbly inherited their philosophy. Veni, vidi, vici — come, see, conquer. We have adorned our honeycombs for the victor to plunder. Survival of the fittest. In society, the defeated has no worth. Only the worthy competitor deserves the license to live. Thankfully! For had Alexander, Tamerlane, or Hitler not fallen at last, this world would have been a nightmare unfit to imagine. The conqueror has glory. The va...