We Can’t All Be Heroes
I’d like to call for a moratorium on the current practice of designating virtually every human being as a “hero.”
Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a bit. But you have to agree that we’ve really cheapened the idea of “hero” in the modern age.
Let’s call it, “Heroism Inflation.” That will do for the moment. But what on earth do I mean?
I submit that we’ve lost the primary meaning of hero. We’ve certainly lost the original meaning of hero.
Where Are The Modern Heroes?
So where have all the heroes gone? What happened to these men and women who were larger than life? Who performed great deeds? Who had extraordinary courage and strength? Who did what others were unwillingly to do or incapable of doing?
True heroes have been replaced by ordinary people.
These days… fathers are heroes. Mothers are heroes. Teachers are heroes. Soldiers are heroes. Police officers are heroes. Doctors are heroes. People with illnesses are heroes. Those who take care of aging parents are heroes. And so it goes on.
Let’s take teachers for example. I love teachers. Teachers are amongst my most favorite people in the world. Teachers have literally changed my life. But most teachers are not heroes. Teachers usually love teaching, love students, and love to pick up a paycheck each month for teaching. That may be honorable. Even commendable. But it’s not heroic.
The American humorist Will Rogers once said: “We can’t all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” Rogers understood that most people are not heroes. That most people can’t be heroes. That most of us are simply average. Heroes are rare. That’s why we have parades for them.
If everybody is a hero, then nobody is a hero.
So let’s find out what a true hero really is.
1. True Heroes Serve Others
A true hero is someone who does something heroic for the benefit of others. For the benefit of someone other than themselves.
Which doesn’t mean that a hero can’t benefit from his or her own heroism. But their deed or act or performance or accomplishment is not primarily for their own benefit. They’re selfless in their service – not self-serving.
2. True Heroes Are Extraordinary
True heroes are not ordinary people doing ordinary things in ordinary ways. They aren’t like everyone else.
They’re different.
They’re brave when others cower. They’re strong when others are weak. They’re determined when others quit. They’re disciplined when others are lazy. They do right when others do wrong.
Some soldiers are heroes. But most are not. Some soldiers enlist because they can’t find a job; they want benefits; and they hope to later attend college on the GI Bill. This is fine and should not be demeaned.
But one is not a hero by virtue of being a soldier. They must do something heroic as a soldier in order to qualify as a hero.
Ditto for law enforcement officers. For doctors. For teachers. For nurses. For firefighters. For pilots.
There are potential heroes in ALL of these professions. But they aren’t heroes by simply being IN those professions. A true hero is extraordinary.
3. True Heroes Take Risks And Face Potential Loss
A true hero takes a risk. A true hero does something that may cost them on a personal level.
It may result in their being injured. They may have to forfeit something of value. They may even lose their life by their deed of heroism. But they’re willing to take that risk.
A true hero is willing to take a risk on behalf of others. If I attempt to climb a mountain, I may fall off that mountain and die. This is not, by itself, a heroic risk.
A heroic risk would be risking my own life in order to save other mountain climbers. A true hero takes risks on behalf of others.
4. True Heroes Are Self-sacrificing
A true hero is willing to pay a personal price so that others may benefit. A true hero doesn’t merely do things from which everyone benefits. A true hero is self-sacrificing. Here are some examples:
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
– Gandhi
– Alfred Vanderbilt
– Desmond Doss
– Irena Sendler
– Ernest Shackleton
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
– Oskar Schindler
There are hundreds more we could name. Heroes are self-sacrificing. That’s one trait that makes them a hero.
5. True Heroes Are Courageous
A true hero may be just as afraid as the next person. A true hero may be just as aware of the danger they face as the next person. But they act in spite of their fear.
They aren’t some special class of human being that’s exempt from normal tendencies to be afraid in the face of danger. True heroes are afraid too!
But they act anyway. Knowing full well that danger lies ahead, they forge ahead just the same. Facing down your fears and courageously pressing on is heroic.
6. True Heroes Are Usually Humble
Most of us will be called upon to sit on the curb and clap as the heroes pass by. That’s okay. True heroes appreciate the honor bestowed on them for what they did. But most true heroes tend to be humble.
They’re just glad they could serve in some way. True heroes often shy away from acclaim. True heroes don’t always see themselves as heroes.
This, in some ways, makes them even more heroic. It’s hard to love and admire a prideful and arrogant hero. After all, “Arrogant Hero” sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?
