On Heroes: An Essay

What is a hero?  And can one truly be found anymore?

The truth is, most people now would like to tell you that everyone is a hero in some way.  In fact, against the backdrop of all the revolutionary wars that that have been fought in recent centuries - particularly the American and French Revolutions - we have gotten to a point where to be considered a hero by no one is out of the ordinary.

The revolutionary spirit carries the hearts of the masses!  All men are equal; all men are great. Our worth is in who we are at the core: humans with hearts, and souls, and voices that must be heard.  To compare is to betray all who would seem inferior in light of such a comparison. It is to undermine the very foundation on which we treat others with respect.

Of course, some among the audience of this little paper will have seen the flaw already.  No one can raise the standard if being better is worse.  Superior, inferior; no one hates those words more than the free man who uses his freedom to bear the name of the former and the actions of the latter.  In democracy’s eyes, better and worse do not exist, nor do superior and inferior, nor do right and wrong.

So society loves the idea that everyone can be a hero.  And oh, we do love our heroes - so long as everyone understands that the man who drags a pregnant woman out of her burning home is no more a hero than the woman who makes strangers happy by smiling at them even when she’d like to cry.  It’s all self-sacrifice, after all. And all are equal.  

There is a reason heroes have gone extinct.

To be a hero is to be brave and self-sacrificial, but it is to be so to an extreme.  It is to stand above the crowd, so high that in their eagerness to look at this man, they will themselves be inspired to climb higher.  It is, in a word, to be superior. Not proud or arrogant, for that is where great men become less great; but unusually giving, or caring, or just.  But to climb above normalcy now is not an invitation to others to join you, but a request to be cut down to the same size as everyone else.

In ancient times, the grounds for heroes to grow out of were fertile and nutritious.  The actions were not easy, but the motivation was there. Heroes received great reward and glory, and often men who found themselves in the lowest of circumstances had need of the greatest of character and feats to escape death or other unpleasant fates.  It was easy to tell who was a hero and who was not, and those who were had thoroughly earned the title. Yet how watered down we have become. In trying to give everyone courage, we have spread it thin and encouraged it to be wasted and discarded.

There is in this world, and particularly in this country, a need for men to stir themselves up to action.  To shake off those shackles of equalness, give their minds to what is good and right, and expect better of mankind than mankind expects of itself.  I do earnestly believe that to be a hero in this day and age would be as difficult, if not more, than it would have been in days past; firstly because when all men lead average lives, it is easier to settle for average than to climb unnecessary heights; and secondly because of the passionate, widespread, selfish jealousy of democracy.

But one thing I cannot deny, thought it might seem contrary to statements I have previously made: men never stop looking for heroes.  Man is made to worship. Man is made to love beauty and holiness and truth and justice. And man is made to reflect these characteristics of the God in whose image we are created.  Why does humanity love heroes? Why do we seek them hungrily and bask in their glow like lizards in the sun? Because they are little glimpses, here in a world of sin, of that perfect Being who alone can feed and warm us.  How lost we all are, and how confused, that we turn our backs on God, and then seek Him where His fullness cannot be found.

Even heroes disappoint.  They rise up, brave and selfless, and then they make mistakes, or they simply die.  Not perfect or immortal are these better humans. But they make us look up expectantly, as though there were something more than ourselves.

A hero without Christ is a reminder that all men were equally created in God’s image, and that even good deeds cannot save.  But a hero, saved and being sanctified, is a reminder of the right order of things; of how this world and the people in it ought to be.

Satan, as usual, takes a little truth and twists it.  All men ought to be heroes, perfect and godly. We ought to be full of courage, faith, truth, and love.  But it is a mistake to think that we ever can be except through Christ Jesus. Who man is, and who he ought to be, can never be separated from who God is.

What a hero is:

Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”  1 Samuel 16:18

What a hero does:

“Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God.  And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.” 2 Samuel 10:12

On Heroes: A Rant

Tonight at a football game (we lost) I saw a little girl wearing a shirt that said "GIRLS ARE HEROES."  I sincerely hope she didn't really believe that.

It seemed like it would have been inappropriate, but I really wanted to take her aside, to say, "Some girls are heroes, but most are just normal people.  Just like some boys are heroes, but most are just normal people."

Saying something like "GIRLS ARE HEROES" with no qualifiers, no definitions, is the height of stupidity.  Let's consult some dictionaries, shall we?

Oxford English Dictionary
A person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

(in mythology or folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semi-divine origin, in particular one whose exploits were the subject of ancient Greek myths

Merriam-Webster
a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability

an illustrious warrior

a person admired for achievements and noble qualities

one who shows great courage

Dictionary.com
a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character

a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal

the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich


Can anyone really say that "girls" in such a broad, general way fit any of these definitions?  The only one I can think of that people could argue for is the last Merriam-Webster one, and that's only naivete on the part of those who would argue that.  No, most girls don't show "great courage."  They might show some courage, and it might be great for them, but objectively, it's not really that big of a deal, especially not if all girls are doing it (which they're not).

I may make some enemies here, but the fact is, some people are better than others.  I know people who are smarter, stronger, and more talented and accomplished than me.  Well, you might say, that doesn't mean they're better than you.

But yes.  It does. 

Obviously, these things aren't going to affect how much God loves me.  And no, there's no difference in terms of rights; I'll have none of that evolution "survival of the fittest" crap.  Yes, the fittest will likely survive.  No, they don't have the right to harm the weak for their own gain.

But it's almost like "better" is a bad word nowadays.  No one is allowed to be better than anyone else.  Just different.

But who really believes that?

Let's come back to girls, because that's where we started.  Teenage girls have a tendency to compare, which can mess with their heads and make them depressed.  People keep affirming them, but these girls keep on comparing.

So I've had an idea.

We as a society have been telling these girls, "You're perfect just the way you are.  You don't need to change."  But they're not perfect.  We're all flawed, and we all know it.  So this is a lie, which doesn't fix anything, glosses over the real problems, and makes them more depressed, because really they know they need to change, they just don't know what or how.

What if, instead, we told them the truth.  "No, you're not perfect.  But you can improve yourself."

And here's where a hero become really important, because heroes aren't people you're comparing yourself with, not really.  They're not people who you're trying to surpass, or can even hope to.  Heroes are people who exemplify good traits in such a powerful way that you're inspired to do your best too.  Heroes are meant to be watched.

But they're not watching back.  They're looking up, just like we do when we look at them.  And I can almost guarantee that heroes are at their most heroic when they're not thinking of themselves as heroes.

We've lost our aim, and we keep telling ourselves that that's what's right.  The problem with telling girls that they're heroes is that that it gives them nothing to aim for but themselves.

And if you're aiming for yourself, you're not going to get anywhere.


NOTE:  This isn't my first time covering the subject of heroes.  I did it in a more formal way a while back.  I'll post that tonight as well.  As soon as you're done here, find that post and read it if you haven't already.  This one is sorely incomplete without it.