Your Greatest Weakness is your Greatest Strength.

In every story, it’s the hero’s greatest weakness that becomes their source of greatest strength. Luke Skywalker’s naivety that drives him into dangerous situations for his friends is the same quality that gave him the strength that throw his lightsaber down in front of the emperor, it’s Aang’s fear of taking life that helps him defeat the Fire Lord in a way that completely ends the war instead of continuing the cycle of violence, it’s Hiccup’s small stature and skinniness that gives him the creativity to find new ways to hunt dragons, and eventually become the first to ride one. 

My weaknesses can become my greatest strength. Weakness and strength are the same quality, just different sides of the coin. For example, if you are afraid of death, the weak side of that coin would be trying to hoard all you can and do whatever it takes to feel ecstasy on earth, and the strong side would be to fight for the rights and lives of others so that they can experience the best of life. 

What is good and bad then? That’s the eternal question. The Monomyth’s main metastory is the tale in which the hero takes on suffering for doing the right thing. In fact, Jesus’ death on the cross is the most archetypal story ever told, because Jesus received the worst possible punishment for the highest possible morality. Jesus gave everything and died for it. Why do we think that doing good will be any different? So what is good is what is worst for me, but best for others.

In a character growth, a character does not change who they are. They don't go from good to evil. Anakin at no point in his life was anyone different. The same passion that drove him to save his son from Palpatine is the same passion that drove him to kill the Jedi. The difference is that one of those decisions is selfish, and the other is selfless. Same passion, just one is selfish and the other is selfless. Luke is so naive. That same naivety drove him to fight Vader before he was ready, and the same naivety that led him to throw down his lightsaber and believe that Vader has good in him. Selflessness. That's the only difference in actions. There are selfish and selfless actions. Not good or bad. Good or bad is in the eye of the beholder, because what might be good to one person seems evil to another. If get laid off from my job, it’s evil to me on account of my personal loss, but to the manager who made the decision it’s good because he can save the rest of their team. Good and bad is subjective, but not selfishness of selflessness.

Below I have listed out general qualities and their selfless and selfish sides. This list is constantly changing and being updated; I encourage you to write your own.

Fear

Strength: Drive to act /// Weakness: Cowardice

Humor

Strength: Makes people happy /// Weakness: Mocks people

Libido

Strength: Sustains a marriage /// Weakness: Causes infidelity

Eloquence

Strength: Effective communication /// Weakness: Overly complicated

Creativity

Strength: Problem solving /// Weakness: Scatterbrained

Disconnectedness

Strength: Clarity /// Weakness: Apathy

Vision

Strength: Unifying /// Weakness: Paralyzing

Harry Potter’s friends, the Gaang, and Jesus didn’t always follow the rules. In fact, they often broke them. To be good you need to be able to break rules and understand your personal capacity for evil. In fact, the world tries to force you into either/or decisions. The world tells you you have to kill Darth Vader if you want to become a Jedi, that you have to kill a dragon to become a man, that you have to kill the Fire Lord if you want to end the war. Don’t. You must confront them. You must be vulnerable. You must risk your own life in the bet. Sometimes they’ll change, like Darth Vader, who turned and fought the emperor to save his son, other times they won’t, like the Fire Lord taking a cheap shot at Aang as he spares his life. More often than not though, the same people who you set out to save will be the ones that nail you onto the cross. The world will hate you for not killing. They’ll hate you for not hating the oppressors. They’ll hate you for not tearing down the Roman Empire and establishing a new kingdom. I have felt the desire to tear down this government and save everyone I can. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I am choosing a different path.

Ambition often has unforeseen consequences. Fate, doom, and destiny are different flavors of the same concept, the triune being that is simultaneously three unique, independent parts, but still the same creature. Trying to change or even hasten the future or unchanging realities like poverty or corruption is, well, not particularly wise. Remember Count Dooku, who sought to restore justice and peace in the galaxy, but in the process billions died. Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker, Omniman, Paul Atreides, Harvy Dent and Eren Jaeger all set out to save everyone, but in the process killed countless innocent people. The ends do not justify the means. However, people who set out to save other people, not all people, have better results. In the throne room, Luke Skywalker set out to save his father, not the whole galaxy. Hiccup wanted to save one dragon, not all of them. Invincible protects his family. The idea that you can save everyone or end all injustice is a symptom of pride. What separates the hero from the villain is that villains look outward to change things, and the heroes see that the only thing they can change is themself.

In a character growth, a character does not change who they are. They don't go from good to evil. Anakin at no point in his life was anyone different. The same passion that drove him to save his son from Palpatine is the same passion that drove him to kill the Jedi. The difference is that one of those decisions is selfish, and the other is selfless. Same passion, just one is selfish and the other is selfless. Luke is so naive. That same naivety drove him to fight Vader before he was ready, and the same naivety that led him to throw down his lightsaber and believe that Vader has good in him. Selflessness. That's the only difference in actions. There are selfish and selfless actions. Not good or bad. Good or bad is in the eye of the beholder. Not selfishness of selflessness though. There is no character who is evil. Every character, and person, are victims who need saving. Victims of sin. Selfishness. They are not my enemy, even though they pose a physical threat. We know that Ephesians 6:12 states: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." 

There is no character who is evil. Every character and person are both victims who need saving. Victims of sin. Selfishness. They are not my enemy, even though they pose a physical threat. We know that Ephesians 6:12 states: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." I refuse to believe that anyone is a villain just because Satan bullied and manipulated them, trapped them in shame and in the history of the actions, goaded them into doing wrong and robbed them the people that loved them, embarrassed them, whispered lies into their ears that said “No one will love you after what you’ve done. No one will forgive you. What you’ve done can’t be undone. This is who you are now. I am your master now, and you must serve me”.

All of the greatest villains of history, with all their strength and aura and power, were all scared, lonely, and anguished boys and girls, begging Satan for love but only receiving more guilt and shame. Even the most powerful villains are afraid of their masters. They are all servants, weak and small at Satan’s feet. They serve the evil forces, but they aren't evil. Just selfish. Even if they hurt me. Even if they do things that are so unspeakably evil that it doesn’t seem that even a demon could conjure such a thought. People may continue the cycle of abuse and violence, but it also doesn’t mean that anyone is evil. I refuse to let Satan win. Satan tells his servants that they’re villains when they are really victims. God doesn’t hate us. He’s heartbroken that People don’t need to change, they need to be shown the way back. Don’t give up hope. Believe they can return. To kill a person would be continuing the cycle of violence, making you a victim too. Someone needs to stand up and say no. Even the ambition to change can sometimes turn into evil.