"Do not pity the people" (Stephen Schwartz, Victors and Vanquished, 187)
When I read these words, I immediately thought of another similar quote from a favorite book:
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 is such a terrible feeling. We've all felt it. For the aged woman we see difficultly loading groceries into her car at the supermarket, for the physically or mentally handicapped person we see struggling to completely a seemingly simple task, for the bald and fatigued cancer patient that is trying her best to just make it through the day. We look at these people and feel pity. But we shouldn't. Because these people are strong in ways that some people will never understand.
I feel that's where the Spaniards really missed the mark while dealing with the people of Tenochtitlan. The Spaniards felt pity towards this civilization, but how could anyone pity such an advanced people? They built an incredible city using technology beyond what the Spaniards could have imagined. So just thinking of the slaughter and destruction I wonder, Was that really necessary? The answer, in my opinion, is no. Very little good can come from actions motivated by greed, anger, and pity.
The world would be a lot different if the Spaniards hadn't conquered the Aztecs. Maybe something else would have destroyed them eventually anyway, but maybe there would have been more records and more surviving artifacts from their civilization. And I still can't help but think, what if the Spaniards took a moment to be civil to the people they pitied? What if we stop pitying those around us that we deem as "less fortunate" and show a little kindness and respect? I think we can learn a lot from this video.
What if, instead of pitying and judging others, we take the time to get to know them?
