In today's internet age, heroes are defined by the mass media. They define them as someone who is vastly popular, and have many followers, somewhat similar to a celebrity. However, this is not their proper definition.
Heroes are basically someone who does a good deed. They are defined slightly differently in different periods, due to the different societies, and the people's attitudes.
In the ancient world, heroes were people that achieved a great feat, and triumphed over evil. By this definition, Hercules was a great hero. Most of the time, the ancient hero was a semi-god, and was worshipped by the people. There was no question about who was a hero and who was not; if you had super powers, and accomplished a superhuman feat, you were a hero.
However, as time progressed, and the society became more complex, heroes began to take on a new face. In today's world, heroes have four main characteristics:
- They have good values
- They need not be famous, but they must have done something honorable
- They are catalysts for change
- They have great physical and mental strength
Values and attitudes shape a person's life, and the hero is no exception. If a hero is based on the wrong ideals, his character would not be slighted towards doing good. For example, if someone believes that 'Money is everything', then he would not help anyone if he does not get any monetary returns. Such a person would not be a hero. One example of a hero with good ideals is Ray Anderson. After he learned about the harm industralisation does to the environment, he tried to make his company more environmentally friendly, and spread this idealism to others. In this way, he is a hero. Heroes should also serve as a role model to others. A hero need not be flawless, but he must have something worthy that others can learn from.
If a tree falls in the middle of the forest, and no one sees it, does it fall? Yes. Someone that does a heroic deed 'automatically' becomes a hero. Whether there are witness, or whether he is famous is beside the point. Actually, there are many heroes around us now. From the police that patrol the streets, to the salesperson who does not cheat the old granny, we are surrounded by heroes.
Change was a major theme in Obama's election campaign. Heroes push for change, trying to change something that they feel is unfair, something that can be improved. Heroes have good vision, and create new pathways for the people. Without Gandhi, India may still be a British colony. Without Martin Luther King Jr. we may still have segregated parks, and restaurants. Heroes constantly look out for injustice, and work hard to solve them. While change may still happen on a large scale without great leaders, it would happen at a much slower rate.
Heroes have great courage. In many fantasy stories, the hero is the one that sacrifices his life to save others, or to protect a cause. To the casual observer, it may seem that the hero does not regard his life. However, in reality, the hero does regard his life; it is just that he feels that the cause that he is protecting is greater than his lie. As Martin Luther King Jr. puts it, 'Certainly I don't want to die. But if anyone has to die, let it be me.' This courage of sacrificing may not be as big as sacrificing one's life, it may be something small, like one's time, or effort. Erik Weihenmayor is an example of a hero with great courage: he managed to conquer Mount Everest despite his disability of being blind. We must note that this courage is different from the small boy who points out that the Emperor is not wearing clothes; he speaks out of innocence, and not knowing the consequences.
Heroes have morphed over time, but one characteristic remains constant: all heroes have good values, and do good deeds to help others. The hero is not as distant as you think: everyone can be a hero, without having the super powers of Hercules.
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