There will always exist the good guys and the bad guys of the world's history.
But who are the good and the bad guys?
That only depends on which side you are.
We all believe to be doing what is the correct for us and for the others. We will always be the good guys.
Nobody believes that is doing something wrong or we wouldn't do it. Unless we are wrongly doing it on purpose. In that case we know we are the bad guys.
But, in general, everybody believes to be doing what is the best. And if it's the best for themselves, of course, is, also, the best for the others. So, our way is the best way! The correct one!
Therefore, there shouldn't be bad guys. But there are.
The history we know is what our schools have taught us. Our school contents and its books are selected and approved by the government of each country.
Thus, in the portuguese schools, we learned that the portuguese navigators were pioneers in the Age of Discovery/ Exploration.
They were brave heroes that defied the unknown seas and discovered far-off lands such as Angola, Mozambique, Goa, Macao, East Timor, Brazil and others. Expanding the portuguese empire and bringing the catholic religion and the portuguese culture to the indigenous people. These primitive people were the labour used to build the portuguese colonies.
In the meantime, in some schools of Africa, it could be taught that the portuguese people invaded their territory, stole their country's most precious goods and resources, enslaved all the population and violently force them to work for them for free, with no rights and to be sold as merchandise, as long they were still breathing. Children as well.
Many died of work exhaustion, beating, malnutrition...
After all, were the portuguese heroes or cruel killers?
As portuguese, I can only apologize for what my people did during the colonization times.. It warmed my heart when the president of Portugal also apologized.. sadly the human history is filled with atrocities and blood...The portuguese and their ancestors were enslaved by many people too, like happened with the entire world...everybody was someone's slave at some point... the bloody wars for territory and power.
History is what they want us to see. History is what we want to see.
As portuguese, I can only apologize for what my people did during the colonization times.. It warmed my heart when the president of Portugal also apologized.. sadly the human history is filled with atrocities and blood...The portuguese and their ancestors were enslaved by many people too, like happened with the entire world...everybody was someone's slave at some point... the bloody wars for territory and power.
History is what they want us to see. History is what we want to see.
The same happens with the history of the rest of the world. We just know one side of the history. Ours. Our country's.
The same happens with the history that is written now. It depends of which country you live, which television channel you watch, which newspapers you read, the alliances your country has, which countries is your country subordinate to, and on..
The reality we know is conditioned by economical, social, political interests.. it depends on every and any factors, just not moral factors.
Morality is not important. The manipulation of your moral values is what is important. You need to believe you are with the good guys!
"History is just new people making old mistakes" - Freud
"History is just new people making old mistakes" - Freud
Picture source: https://www.pinterest.com/mgn6/quotes/?lp=true