The Importance of Compassion over Ideology: Levi's Choice as an Act of Mercy and Human Decency
I think one of the most important things that gets lost is all of the discourse, all of the arguing over Levi's choice to let Erwin rest, and whether or not it was the "right" thing to do, is what an incredible act of human compassion, kindness and empathy it was.
One of the main themes of "Attack on Titan" is the danger of ideology and how easily we can lose our humanity to concepts of "the greater good".
All of the arguing within the fandom itself over this particular moment in the story is, in many ways, a manifestation of that. A loss of human compassion, a loss of kindness and mercy to an abstract notion of ideology. Many fans are guilty of just this thing, in their enraged condemnation of Levi's choice. Whether they know it or not, they expose a lack in themselves of human empathy, or even sympathy when they criticize Levi's decision to let Erwin die. To them, the "greater good", that vague, undefined, uncertain promise of something "better" is more important to them than the immediate, concrete and tangible suffering of a fellow human being.
Floch himself is a sort of stand-in for that portion of the audience which so harshly criticizes Levi's choice. And Floch is also an exemplar of what happens, when we place ideology over human compassion. You become a radical extremist, willing to justify any act of atrocity in the name of "the greater good".
Levi is Floch's perfect opposite. His perfect foil. Because we see him make a decision which rejects Floch's brand of justified atrocities, by placing an act of human compassion, kindness and empathy above the vague, undefined and uncertain ideology of the greater good.
And what better person to demonstrate the importance of retaining our humanity in the face of and against ideology, than the most kind, compassionate and empathetic character in the whole series?
Despite what Levi says about himself, about becoming a "monster" that hurts people, his actions belie that self-assessment. Because he not only refused to lose his own humanity to ideology, but also, he refused to let Erwin lose his.
Because ideology, and "the greater good", mean nothing if, in the pursuit of those things, we lose all sense of human decency. If we become monsters. If we lose our compassion, and our empathy toward the suffering of others. If we lose our mercy.
Levi's choice in Shinganshina was really an act of rebellion against the cruelty of ideology; a defiance against the belief of "the greater good" above all else. It was a statement declaring that, no, the greater good doesn't always take precedence, isn't always the most pertinent or important objective. Sometimes, a simple act of mercy is more important. Sometimes, to show compassion toward another human beings suffering is the only path toward an ideal world.
Levi really encapsulate that theme, then, of humanity first, of humaneness first, above the doctrine of movements.
There is no greater good, after all, without compassion and empathy. There is no "better tomorrow" without human kindness.
