"The Illusion of the Right Side" By Aditya Singh

 

If we look back at human history, we will notice one thing there has never been a time without conflict. From ancient kingdoms to modern nations, from empires to revolutions, there were always two sides clashing. Sometimes the fight was for land, sometimes for faith, sometimes for power, and sometimes for ideas. But no matter the reason, each side always believed they were right.

Every war, every revolution, every struggle began with this belief that “our side is just, and the other is wrong”. And we, as common people, often choose the side that feels closer to our heart or fits our understanding of what “truth” means. Once we choose, we start to see the world from that lens. We see our heroes as noble and the others as cruel. We see our cause as sacred and theirs as evil.

But if we pause for a moment and look deeper, we might see something different. We might realize that the people on the other side are also driven by the same emotions faith, love for their land, loyalty, fear, and hope. They too believe they are fighting for something true and pure.

History is full of such mirrors. During the Crusades, Christian warriors believed they were protecting God’s will, while Muslim soldiers believed they were defending their faith and homeland. In the Cold War, Americans thought they were saving the world from tyranny, while Soviets believed they were standing against exploitation. Even in our own country, during India’s freedom struggle, the British saw themselves as bringers of civilization and progress, while Indians saw them as oppressors taking away their freedom. Both believed they were doing what was right.

It is not that one side was always good and the other bad. The truth is that both sides were seeing the world from their own Lens, shaped by their culture, upbringing, and experience. What is “right” for one may appear “wrong” to another.

That is what makes human history so complex. We don’t really fight between good and evil; we fight between two versions of what is believed to be good. And that belief is powerful. It blinds us, drives us, and gives meaning to our struggle.

If we truly wish to understand the world, we must learn to see beyond sides. Because the moment we stop seeing only through our own lens, we begin to understand that truth is not owned by anyone. It changes its shape depending on where you stand.

Maybe wisdom lies not in taking sides, but in realizing that everyone whether king or rebel, believer or heretic fights for a truth that feels right to them. And in that realization, we may find not division, but compassion the kind that lets us see ourselves in the very people we once called “wrong.”