Current morality, once it would have been called “the spirit of the time”, considers ethics an abstract concept, which lives in the books of philosophers much more than in real life, dominated by cynicism and personal gain. Those who speak of ethics usually do not practice its precepts. Who doesn’t even talk about it, but it is more sincere, since life is ruthless competition, success is everything and defeat turns you into nothing. Then it happens that, during the final of a fencing tournament, Gaia Betrayedhe twists his ankle and is no longer able to hop. The other finalist Emily Rossatti she is down by three hits, but there are 17 seconds left, enough to remount a helpless opponent. But, instead of advancing with drawn sword towards her, Emilia backs away and waits for the liberating sound of the siren to deliver her victory to Gaia with a tearful embrace on both sides.
In short, Emilia has pulled ethics down from the books and embodied it in a gesture of revolutionary significance: success at all costs is not everything and self-inflicting an injustice can give better sensations than committing it, given that victory caresses only the ego, while the renunciation in the name of a moral value satisfies something deeper – the conscience? the soul? — of which many question the existence, but of which everyone retains at least the memory. The proof is that, on the rare occasions when we listen to this “something”, we immediately feel better.
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