Week Three

Do not pity the people. Let us die quickly, if we do not win, and we shall make our dais of the people who die supposing the cowardly gods do not favor us. (Stephen Schwartz, Victors and Vanquished, 187-8)

Although there is certainly a lot to say about the fall of Tenochtitlan, I was struck by the quote above. It's likely that the reason that it means so much to me is because of another quote that I feel is quite similar:

"Do not pity the dead.... Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 722)

Pity.
What a terrible feeling.

Have we not all felt pity towards someone at some point? We see an aged woman struggling to load groceries into her car at the supermarket or someone with a physical or mental handicap trying to accomplish a seemingly simple task or someone who has lost her hair due to cancer treatment and what do we feel? Often times, pity. But we shouldn't feel pity for these people, for they clearly have gone through hardships that we probably can't even imagine. These people possess wisdom and strength that others may never gain, especially those that choose to pity themselves and others.

This is something that has bothered me while reading Victors and Vanquished: The Spaniards seem to pity the natives because they seem less sophisticated than the soldiers with their advanced weapons, fancy clothes, and big boats. But when I think of the people living in Tenochtitlan, I do not understand how anyone could pity these people. They created a city out of nearly nothing. They were wealthy, smart, and productive people. These are not people to be pitied. These are people to be admired, people to learn from.

Our pity doesn't lead to conquests or destroying cities like that of the Spaniards. But that doesn't justify our often mean or accusing thoughts towards others. If the Spaniards hadn't sought to destroy Tenochtitlan out of greed and pity, Mexico would be a much different place today. So, if we no longer feel pity, perhaps our lives would be a little happier and we would be a little more aware of the incredible people all around us. 

 Because they are certainly there.