Even good scholars and scientists shy away from publicly siding with truth when their intimate friendships are at stake. They lose their courage and independence in trying to keep intact the adulation of a few friends. Many heroes rust out by crawling to hero-worshippers.
All heroism that man seeks appears to have for its end the adulation of a few people who he feels are close to him. There is an interesting episode towards the end of Napoleon’s life that attests this truth.
Napoleon, who was one of the greatest military heroes in history, played a key role in the French Revolution and was the first emperor of France (1804-15). After a series of military defeats, he was forced to abdicate and exiled to the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean where he spent the last six years of his life.
