In every epic story or tragedy there is a protagonist and an antagonist, a hero and a villain. Most stories go the same, there's a rise, a fall, rise again to a climax, and a resolution. Right now, in my story, a resolution has just occurred, and I'm reflecting on my journey.
Have you ever heard of the term "hamartia"? Aristotle casually introduced the term as a way of describing the tragic flaw of the hero. The hero's misfortune is not brought about by villainy or evil, but rather by an error in judgement.
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Hamartia: also called tragic flaw, (hamartia from Greek hamartanein, “to err”), inherent defect or shortcoming in the hero of a tragedy
I don't know why, but I am completely mesmerized by that beautiful concept. You see, in today's society we think of heroes as people who are flawless. Yet, Aristotle knew the truth. Every story has a hero, even the tragedies. These heroes are not ones of perfection and grace, but rather of triumph over shortcoming. In a way, we are all living in our own epic. Each chapter is different—some are marked by tragedy and loss, while others are tales of success and discovery. So, what then is your hamartia? If you are the protagonist of your own epic, what then is your tragic flaw? Antigone had her stubbornness, Hamlet had his indecisiveness, Macbeth has his excessive ambition, and I blindly let people into my heart. One might argue that my flaw is in fact not proven to be fatal, but to that I argue: not yet, at least.
I don't know what makes us the way we are. I guess you could begin by trying to understand the whole nature-versus-nurture argument. I honestly think that some people are just born the way they are, and the external circumstances that follow shape how we adjust ourselves.
One of the things I enjoy most about allowing someone to get to know me is that in the process I get to know them. I get to learn what makes them think and act the way they do. Being able to read people and having the ability to predict their future actions gives me a sense of comfort and control. As I have learned, there are some people in this life that you just can't read, and although that may seem spontaneous and exciting at the time, it can also lead to confusion and loss. Sometimes people just aren't who you think they are. Sometimes people are exactly who you think they are, but you just chose to ignore it and see their flaws as part of what makes them beautiful.
My epic still continues, but this chapter just closes as a tragedy defined by a hamartia. However, unlike Antigone, Macbeth, and Hamlet, my flaw did not end my journey. My flaw has not only made me stronger, but made me realize it may not even be a flaw at all. Seeing the good in people and letting them in doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong. Let someone's brokenness break you too. Vulnerability is not for the weak, it is for the strong. So what is my advice to you? Find your flaw and embrace it. Live it, love it and learn from it. Your flaws are what make you beautiful. In the end, what's the most it can do? Kill you? Well, at least you'll have died a hero.
