Recipe For a Hero

The qualities and traits qualifying one as a hero vary greatly between different societies. Certain geographic areas and time periods each have notable and distinct attributes that they espouse as heroic. These different paradigms concerning heroism give valuable insight into the personal attributes most valued in a certain society and help paint a picture of that society’s “ideal individual.”

One example of a classic hero is Beowulf from the poem of the same name. Beowulf is the epitome of the stereotypical, medieval hero: he is valiant, noble, and most glaringly obvious, incomprehensibly and unbelievably strong. Beowulf does indeed perform great deeds: slaying monsters, rescuing kingdoms, etc.  However, his motives are questionable; whether he acts out of love for his country or love for himself is up to the reader’s interpretation. Personally, I see pride as Beowulf’s fatal flaw. Self confidence is beneficial, but believing oneself to be so strong to the point of immortality is ludicrous. No one is immortal, and thinking otherwise is not courageous, but foolhardy.

In my day-to-day life, the people who I see “heroified” most frequently are athletes. *bias disclaimer and rant warning* Sports are all good and well, but a quarterback is no better or worse a person than you or I because he or she can catch a ball and score touchdowns. What determines an athlete’s worth as an individual is the content of their character, not the contents of a scoreboard (or worse, the contents of a bank account). Seeing football, baseball, and basketball players exalted, glorified, and made out to be superhuman because of athletic prowess irks and disheartens me. The fact that our society sees a person’s athletic ability as more important than, say, the fact that they beat their wife is detestable and revolting. This repulsion is exacerbated by the overwhelmingly large paychecks these athletes receive. While some are altruistic and make charitable donations, the majority of these excessively wealthy athletes are not philanthropically inclined in the least. In my humble opinion, this is pure selfishness and greed. No solitary person needs to own such large sums of money; if someone comes into possession of such desirable finances, they should “share the wealth” and seek to pass on the good fortune that has evidently visited them. Granted, there are many athletes who are wonderful, down to earth people who embody admirable traits such as humility, selflessness, and a drive to better the world. However, I fear these respectable athletes are the exception, not the rule.

In my view, the true heroes are the people who don’t want be the heroes. The people who do benevolent deeds without expectation or desire for recompense. This is why I personally do not view Beowulf or athletes as deserving the status of hero. I would venture that 99% of the time, self-proclaimed heroes are not fit for the title. In reality, the legitimate heroes do their work silently, without praise and reward. These venerable, nameless individuals are constantly working to make the world a better place, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.