There are only people who do heroic or villainous things. There are no geniuses, only people with a genius for this or that. Evil exists in all of us, and it is up to us to determine where on the sliding scale we fall on a moment by moment basis. "Every moment is a fresh beginning" - T.S. Elliot And each second we draw breath we get a choice to be who we want to be. There is also a spectrum of importance applied to decisions. When Hitler decided to first invade Poland, the impact of that decision was enormous and will reverberate through history as the first global push of that snowball down the hill. His decision to write another word of his book in jail earlier in his life? Probably not as critical (although I realize one thing can lead to another and maybe his mindset shifted in those early years, but for the sake of the idea you get it). The point I'm getting at is we can choose to be good, not evil, for 99.9% of our time, yet the 0.1% could permanently mark us as definitively evil in the eyes of the world, rightly or wrongly. The hope is by shining light on these two ideas of the humanization of heroes and villains plus the sliding scale, we can better empathize with other people. We can, when appropriate, better understand and forgive (not excuse) the blunders of others. Let's draw the line though. Hitler should absolutely be understood, but should never be forgiven or excused. Your partner who says a mean thing to you but had a rough childhood should probably be understood and forgiven, but still not excused. The ability to love someone and still hold them accountable is a powerful thing. I haven't mastered it yet for sure, but I seek to practice it for the sake of myself and the people around me. It gives us the ability to move forward in our relationships without appropriately acknowledging or dealing with past issues. It also gives other people the chance at a redemption arc, and us a chance at a forgiveness and peace of mind arc in parallel. Don't dwell on these things anymore than is necessary. Learn the lesson. Understand and either forgive or cut ties, whichever is most appropriate. Don't excuse, but hold accountable in the most caring way possible. Allow yourself and others to move on. #TSElliot #intellectual #emotional #history #empathy