Ever since I was a small child, I was raised to believe the notion that perseverance always trumps temptation. In school or at home, that concept was drilled and cemented into my mind. With a strong will, anything can be achieved. However, as a result of growing up and reading of Kurtz's fall in The Heart of Darkness, I have encountered a truly inconvenient truth. There is no such thing as an incorruptible character; there is no infallible will.
Maybe it is just the pessimist within me speaking again, but this truth is challenging everything that I have ever believed in terms of morality and judgement. As a child, I was spoon-fed stories of heroes who rise to withstand whatever evil hurls their way. Yes, there is a point in the story where the hero's knees buckle under the pressure of the almost impossible situation that they are thrust into. However, the hero always rises, triumphing in the very end. It is always a perfect story. Although it makes for a very entertaining movie, novel, or comic book, is it okay for our society to be leading people towards this idea?
The story of Mr. Kurtz directly resonates with this inconvenient truth. From the various accounts that described Kurtz's character before he entered the Congo, it would be safe to assume that he was pure at heart. He was respected as a master of speech and loved as a fiancee. He seemed unbreakable, but the Congo shattered him. The massive quest for ivory and the immense authority and power entrusted with him was too much to handle. Greed and the lack of restraint allowed the darkness to slither into his once good being. In a matter of years, Mr. Kurtz turned from a businessman to an egotistical tyrant, with severed heads mounted around his throne.
Although it is an extreme example, I believe that Kurtz's fall is a good representation of reality. In fact, I have seen stronger wills fall to lesser evils than the Congo's heart of darkness. It is sad, but I cannot find it within the human character to best temptation, to not allow it to change and alter your personality. The way I see it, the human character is almost like Play-Doh. It is easily molded and shaped; the slightest impact can dent its structure. It is incredibly hard and almost impossible to resist the blows to our malleable personalities. This incurs a great deal of personal strife within me, as I used to take a great pride preserving my morals and my character. Whenever I find myself slipping against my personal moral compass, I usually beat myself over it. After being taught to make the best decisions and to always stay true to myself, how can I not?
The best thing for me to do is to ditch that simplistic mindset completely. We live in a world without perfection. I now realize that it is impossible to avoid the bad. It will always come to manipulate you and twist you in whatever way it pleases; that's just the way people are wired. However, if evils can affect this character mold, so can the good things in life. Acts of kindness can shape a character in ways that trump the temptations of evil. Therefore, the best thing for me to do, and for everyone to do, is allow yourself to be changed by the things that are worth it, more than by the things that aren't. If you can't be incorruptible, strive to be as damn close as possible.
