Better be tragic than a martyr

The misconception about tragedy (as in drama) is that it is a sad play with an unhappy ending. But judging from its Greek root words tragos and aeiedein it means, literally "song of the goat". FYI: The goat is/was sacred tp Dionysus, the god of wine and feritility, in whose name were the early festivals of song and dance, out of which drama grew.

To cut a long story short, tragedy is an assertion of the fundamental greatness of man; the individual's ability to rise to the heights of human dignity in the face of antagonistic force/s which he knows will finally destroy him.

The point of tragedy is that the protagonist, when faced with the inevitability of the fact that the forces arrayed against him are to cause his literal or figurative death, can and will rise to the occassion and assert his magnificence as a human being, defying the force/s and bringing him at bay or destorying them with himself. There is no possibility of escape because after the balance of forces comes an absolute finality.

So, in many ways, tragedy is not really saddening and depressing in the accident or catastrophe sort of way. And the irony here is that proof of human greatness comes only in death. And every tragic protagonist has this tragic flaw (usually hubris or excessive pride) which makes him "human" and is the cause of his destruction.

The difference between a martyr and a tragic protagonist (or tragic person, in short) is that the martyr dies for a particular cause, and his death implies that something comes after making the suffering and death worth the pain. And lastly, martyr while asserting his cause may consciously seek death. While a tragic person has every reason to live, and makes a heroic struggle to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. And only in death does the tragic grandeur emerge. And his death is a profound loss to humanity.


So there: You choose. Are you tragic or a martyr?

Well, I guess I'd rather live and die while fighting for something I believe in. But, then again, things are easier said than done. And the true answer, for each and every one, is known only when he (or she) is put in a situation which calls for the decision that will change his/her life, forever. I just hope that when we do decide, we won't regret.

This fear of regret though is what makes me, and I guess a lot of people as well, linger at the crossroads too much. Not wanting to take/choose a path too quickly for the fear of regret and failure. Choosing to be surrounded by these safe walls that we have made for ourselves.

I just wish I had the right amount of courage to move my feet wherever I want to, which way I choose because standing at a crossroad for too long is tiring and takes its toll.