You're Not a Hero
A child whose 911 call during a tense situation results in police in just the nick of time is not a hero.
An athlete who sacrifices victory to help an injured opponent is not a hero.
A former drug addict who starts rehab and prevention services is not a hero.
Not all soldiers are heroes. Not all police or firemen are heroes. Not all surgeons performing life-saving procedures are heroes.
My point is not to disparage anyone. These are examples of good people making noble and difficult or even brave choices. I just think reporters, filmmakers, songwriters, and people in general overuse the term.
"When everyone is special, no one is." The truth of that is obvious. But what if only half of people are "special"? Or only ten percent? Or one in a hundred? One in a thousand?
The more rarely a word of praise is applied, the more significant it becomes. Can "hero" be restored to its proper sublimity?
When would you use or not use the word? Must one save a life, or many, to be a hero? What about saving souls? Can a mentor who saves a person from self-destruction, guiding that person to a productive and joyful lifestyle, be a hero?
Should "heroic" be equally rare? Or, like "poetic", does that adjective signify something that is merely similar to the noun from which it is derived?
What's a hero?
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Comments:
May '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
Wasn't there a film with Dustin Hoffman and Geena Davis that dealt with this question? As I recall, the fireman (who is trained to do things normally termed "heroic") turns out to be something of a jerk.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 4:34pmDec '11
Re: You're Not a Hero
I dunno, the army isn't going very far without the quartermasters, and essentially nothing happens absent the signal corp.
Talk to the guy in the field, and ask them how they feel about the people who make sure their wife is getting paid, or ask the guy in the hospital how the feel about the people who aide in their convalescence.
People like Audi Murphy are the people who put everybody else in danger by being cocky, but are lucky enough to have the raw talent to pull it off.
That said, I was always uncomfortable with people thanking me for my service as a REMF.
But then again, the world doesnt happen without a bunch of cubicle stuffers.
I think broadly, a good working definition of a hero is someone who does something that we are unable or unwilling to do and for whom we are grateful.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 4:41pmMay '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
Why are you so concerned about the word "hero"? Were you planning on using it but now you're not sure what it means? Language is elastic and words meaning changes over time. In our technological, hyper-structured, hyper-supervised world, the demands of survival upon us are pretty light. Heroic in todays age is a lot different than heroic in Homeric times when you didn't have ceramic body armor and a .50 caliber weapon to fight with, but just a wooden shield and a sword. The virtues required and emotional, mental fortitude one needed in bygone eras is utterly different, and words from bygone eras don't have the same meaning they once did. Let the language change with the times. It's not something to get to worried over. We'll figure out a way to express ourselves appropriate to the times we live in. We always do.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 4:41pmFeb '11
Re: You're Not a Hero
In my mind a hero is either
a) someone who seriously puts at risk their narrow self-interests for the benefit of others, or
b) someone who performs a difficult or dangerous activity, valued by many, at a level far above the capabilities of most, primarily through strength of spirit or force of will.
But it's not the same as doing your job in a dangerous profession at the level of your peers. Therefore heroism is relative, dependent on the standard for what you do.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 4:50pmMar '11
Re: You're Not a Hero
I think this is closest for me. A lot of people do great or useful things at no personal risk, to me those are good people not heroes.
Bravery is not the absence of fear, it is having fear and over coming it for some goal.
Being heroic is not doing good, it is doing good at great personal risk.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 4:49pmAug '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
Umm... A long sandwich?
The media circus over little deeds is annoying, and I agree that there's absolutely no way an addict becomes a hero by entering rehab.
Still, in our everyday lives, I don't think there's anything wrong with us having our own heroes whom maybe nobody else would recognize as such. My husband is my hero. A relative who gave up years of her life in order to care for an aged relative who treated her like a sack of dung did something I consider heroic. I am, to my consternation, a hero to a few people also. They said it. I wouldn't have.
I think a willingness to recognize the small acts of heroism in others corresponds to cultivating a feeling of gratitude, which is a good thing. Media circuses over dubious heroes are another thing entirely, to my mind.
May '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
I sympathize very much with Aaron, Cylon.
I dislike the abuse of the word "hero" too. It is a word used to honor, but, like too many high school and college diplomas, has been as cheapened and devalued as the US dollar.
I also am not comfortable with the words "always", "never", "beautiful", "incredible", and phrases like "all the time". I will avoid stating that they are used in ways that do not reflect a full understanding of their meanings "all the time", but am confident in asserting that they are used in that inappropriate and uninformed manner all too often.
A friend who is a hard-core Obama fan suggested that "God is on our side." I am very uncomfortable with that phrase.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 5:00pmMay '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
That movie with Dustin Hoffman raises a good question: Must a hero be a generally good or kind person?
We often refer to a person as kind or responsible or patient. The truth is that a person is patient with some things and not with others, responsible in some aspects of his life and not in others, kinder with some people than with others.
I believe someone can generally be a jerk and yet lay down his life for others. People are complicated.
No Caesar:
b) someone who performs a difficult or dangerous activity, valued by many, at a level far above the capabilities of most, primarily through strength of spirit or force of will.
I like that definition.
Jager
Bravery is not the absence of fear, it is having fear and over coming it for some goal.
Being heroic is not doing good, it is doing good at great personal risk.
Are bravery and heroism the same thing?
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
I think a willingness to recognize the small acts of heroism in others corresponds to cultivating a feeling of gratitude, which is a good thing. Media circuses over dubious heroes are another thing entirely, to my mind.
Agreed.
May '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
People use hyperbolic praise in order to recognize and encourage behaviors they approve of. We all do it and we always have. There is nothing wrong with it. It is only a problem when we use it to recognize and elevate behaviors which we shouldn't be encouraging. Helping an injured opponent or going into rehab may not be "heroic" to you, but it's good behavior that deserves to be encouraged. We've always heaped too much glory and credit on certain people. We do it to establish an ideal for us to aspire to. Overpraising good behavior is part of elevating and idealizing that which we want to become. Overpraising isn't a problem as long as the behavior is commendable.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 5:12pmFeb '11
Re: You're Not a Hero
Aaron Miller & Jager: Are bravery and heroism the same thing?
No. Bravery -- over coming your fears of personal injury (the type of injury depends upon what you value the most) - may or maynot be needed to perform heroically, but not all brave acts are heroic.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 5:36pmDec '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
Decades back the term superstar was invented to compensate for overuseof star. Being that superhero is already taken, what are we going to do?
May '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
Language is constantly changing, but not always for the better. Life today is easier in some ways but more difficult in others.
Centuries ago, people were not exposed to nearly so much information or so many cultures, so it was not so difficult as it is today to process all of that and determine one's own beliefs. Has our language evolved to recognize this growing need for intellectual discipline and bravery?
Centuries ago, people were not constantly bombarded by libertinism and soft porn in advertisements and other media. Leisure and entertainment were not so prevalent. Does our modern language reflect the increased difficulty to resist temptations like lust and sloth?
For most part, changes in language are not deliberate. But schools teach kids the difference between formal writing and informal speech precisely because some deliberation is necessary and beneficial.
May '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
Praising behaviour that I believe to be praiseworthy is something I like to do.
I have found, however, that there are plenty of words that do the job that are non-hyperbolic
Eric Roehmer directed a film called Conte d'automne (Autumn Tale) in which a middle-aged former wine merchant (the business was in Egypt) begins his likely to be successful courtship of a middle-aged widow and vineyard owner when he describes her vintage as a "very good local vintage".
Honest, measured, and well-informed praise works and sounds better than saying "isn't she beautiful" of the bride at the wedding.
All brides are beautiful, and all babies, puppies and kittens are cute. Some of the Appalachian Mountains are tall (1 mile or so). Most of the Rocky Mountains and the Andes Mountains are taller.
Jun '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
A hero inspires us through example to act sacrificially where we might otherwise seek our own mean interests. That is why so many of us men with young children will, at some point, turn to our own fathers and see a hero standing next to us: not because he saved the world, but because he saved us, and never expected our thanks.
May '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
Yes, but I'm sure youve also called different behaviors you've observed, "Awesome" or "Fantastic" or "Amazing" or told people you know they should be "really proud" of something when in fact what was done was completely mediocre or merely above average. And you probably did so because it was a child or relative or friend who was doing something for the first time or because it was a significant change or improvement in their behavior.
We overuse words and apply them inaccurately all the time. But human beings are not so stupid as to completely lose the sense of meaning. For the most part we are capable of understanding hyperbole and when someone is being effusive. As I said, thats how we establish and reinforce ideals. And we all recognize that ideals are rarely, if ever, attainable, but we establish them and appeal to them to encourage that which we admire and want more of. We use our language in this imperfect way because language is imperfect and it's difficult or even impossible to adequately express everything we mean precisely and efficiently.
Aug '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
I doubt that's strictly true, especially for children.
If children aren't praised in a way that roughly conforms to reality -- for instance, if they are grossly overpraised, grossly underpraised, or consistently praised for the wrong things -- they can develop character weaknesses that could wreak merry Hell with their later lives.
Overpraising a child for an inborn trait, such as a high IQ or physical beauty, is a classic example. It does little good -- and potentially much harm -- to praise children primarily for traits they didn't choose.
Edited on June 26, 2012 at 5:46pmMay '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
If children… consistently praised for the wrong things -- they can develop character weaknesses that could wreak merry Hell with their later lives.
Yes, but I specifically qualified my remark as applying to commendable behavior, not bad behavior. And all the examples Aaron cited in his post were examples of commendable, if not really heroic, behavior.
That may be true, but I was speaking of behaviors, not traits.
May '10
Re: You're Not a Hero
I would like to think I am still a hero to my children. Maybe I won't always be. But, my Dad is still my hero.
Hero is an old term, that touches on core archetypes of the human condition. It cannot be pinned down easily with words in a neat sentence or two; "Hero" is a word full of meaning, that is both subjective and universal.
To use a more mundane word, let's look at "Chair". What makes something a chair? When is it a stool? Is a stool a type of chair? This is a basic word with a general understanding, but some subjective edges. Hero is similar, but is more loaded with emotion than Chair.
I think God expects us all to live heroically. Loving God with all your heart, soul and might and others as yourself is a massive challenge. The path to follow those commandments is the path of a hero in a fallen world. I wish I did a better job of it.
Sep '11
Re: You're Not a Hero
Catholic saints demonstrate "heroic virtue" in their secular or religious vocation, above the norm of what is commonly achieved, or even sought, in that life. I suspect much heroic virtue is invisible to others, perhaps even (especially?) to the virtuous. I am happier if I don't evaluate mine and others' actions;
Heroism implies doing something difficult, even dangerous, beyond or against narrow interests, perhaps for a higher purpose (though people may act heroically in service of bad causes).
we have become far too hyperbolic in our common language, and athletes (for example) would not count as "heroes" on any objective standard. but, standards do change, sometimes for worse, sometimes for the better. Achilles was a great "hero" but with his tantrums and his desecration of Hector's body, in the context of believing himself immune to death... well, some might prefer Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
I teach a seminar on genocide, & am confronted with the heroism of flawed, fearful, arrogant, greedy, decent, generous people-- who risk all when they cannot gain. It is a great mystery.
Even if most do not rise to that standard, many walks of life are heroic, and worth respect & honor.
Apr '12
Re: You're Not a Hero
(Clear throat, put on moral philosopher hat.) Here's my take, in a nutshell.
1) A hero must have the virtue of courage. In order to have any virtue, you must have them all in some measure. So no, a hero cannot be a bad person in other areas of life.
2) Beyond this you encounter all the usual problems of supererogation. Do we make people go "above and beyond the call of duty" to be deemed heroes, recognizing that, depending on circumstances, the call of duty might be pretty gosh-darn demanding? I won't definitely rule on the question, but I'm suspicious of theories of supererogation, so I'm content to use the term "hero" for anyone who performs a very courageous act.