Western civilization has always praised heroes, those who sacrifice themselves for the city-state, country, or nation. It never questions whether it is worth making such sacrifices for an existing city-state, country, or nation. The taboo representing an unquestionable privilege has been upheld and enforced, and the more people believe that the whole is made up of free individuals, the more barbarically they adhere to and enforce this taboo. But now this issue is being raised from the outside, and by those who do not like to beat around the bush. It asks, isn't abandoning this whole the premise for establishing a truly humane city-state, country, and nation?
This passage reveals a profound contradiction in Western civilization regarding heroism: on one hand, society highly praises heroes who sacrifice themselves for the city-state, country, or nation, considering their sacrifices noble and honorable; on the other hand, there is little questioning of whether such sacrifices are always worthwhile, that is, whether every existing political entity (city-state, country, nation) deserves such great sacrifices from individuals.
The key point here is that although Western society advocates freedom and individualism, emphasizing the value and rights of each person as an independent individual, under the guise of collectivism, this freedom is often overlooked or suppressed. Even in a society that claims to be composed of "free individuals," there exists a "taboo" - an unquestionable belief that for the benefit of the whole (nation, ethnicity, etc.), individuals must make sacrifices, even if these sacrifices are extreme, such as sacrificing their lives.
In simple terms, this passage expresses that in Western civilization, people usually do not delve into whether sacrificing for the country or nation is always justified. Despite emphasizing individual freedom and rights, when these freedoms and rights conflict with the so-called "national interest" or "ethnic interest," individuals are often expected or forced to sacrifice their own interests, and this expectation and coercion are rarely challenged. In short, even in a society where freedom is highly valued, individual freedom and life can sometimes be overwhelmed by the interests of the country or nation.