Modern Day Hero

November 2019

I think a lot about heroes.  Not as much as I did when I was a kid, but the thoughts are still there. I’ve always wanted to be one, although I don’t think I really knew why or what that meant. Growing up, my heroes were always historical figures.  Sadly, they were exclusively male.  They were also never someone that was still living.  It was as if that was part of heroism’s criteria, to be dead. 

Daniel Boone, George Washington, Louis and Clark, Sargent York, Davy Crockett.  Most of the time my heroes had something to do with war, or adventure.  Likely influenced by the television of the time and the books I was reading. Sports figures were never included for me.  I had my favorites, but never believed they were heroes. I still don’t.

For me, heroes were men (sorry!) that achieved glory by rising to the occasion, ignoring their own safety to benefit someone else.  I admired them for their courage and having the strength to do something incredible.  For being fearless, even when they were certainly afraid.  It seemed to me that heroes saw a situation was dangerous or impossible but chose to overcome fear and try anyway.  I liked that!

Given that I spent a great deal of my childhood being afraid, it gave me a reason to think fear was ok. Scared or not I could still do great things. I wanted that more than anything.  To do something amazing, that people would look at me and say, “There goes a hero”.  I really think I just wanted to be loved.  I still do.

I’m not a kid anymore but being a hero is still a “thing” for me.  I am still looking for ways to be heroic.  To get attention and be recognized. I once heard someone say, “the older you get, the lonelier you become, and you need more love and attention to sustain yourself.” I think this may be caused by us needing to be the hero of our own life’s story. Which is rarely the case.  Unless you revise your definition of a hero.  Which we may need to do.

Think about it.  We spend a fair amount of our life failing. Struggling.  Getting kicked around, humiliated, and disgraced. We lose our jobs, our marriages fail, we fight to pay our bills, we don’t get that promotion. We feel disheartened and “average”.  Our heroic illusion is shattered in the face of mediocrity. We find we are not great at anything at all, and yet we plod along.  It can be incredibly demoralizing. Unless we rethink the hero paradigm.

Because overcoming life’s obstacles is truly heroic! Living takes courage and is truly something incredible!  We face our fears and slay our dragons.  We go off to fight and often lose. We are bruised and battered, almost daily. Yet when we get knocked down, we get back up.  This is one of the most important traits of a hero, they recover from defeats and keep going. Being fearless, even when they are certainly afraid.

Each time we are defeated, we must come back with a newfound sense that we don’t always have to win to be a hero.  We must find a way to recognize this. Nor do the qualities of a hero always need to arouse admiration or awe in someone else. Everyday heroes can show people that the struggle is worth the sacrifice. That true heroism is continuing to plow forward, despite setbacks and the lack of attention that this heroic journey is given. The journey of life.

We must remember that overcoming what life throws at us is heroic. Every defeat is just an angel tugging at our sleeve, helping us get up and wipe off the dust. Reminding us that we must keep going, no matter how afraid we are. To help us stand up for our ideals in the face of criticism and personal loss.

This definition of heroism comes down to making the choice to deal with life as it comes, finding ways to help make the world better in our own little way.  To keep going forward despite the hurdles thrown at us. To rise when we have fallen.  And we will fall!  Yet get up and face another day. And every morning when we rise, look in the mirror and say, “There goes a hero”.  And we will be right!