Musings on Heroes

Hero -
noun, plural -roes;
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
4. Classical Mythology .
a. a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.
b. (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.
c. (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.

We spend our whole life watching them fly across a screen, with super powers, always "more" than we are, always there in the nick of time to catch us as we fall, to save us from the evil villian, but really, what is a hero?

A hero to me is the one who lets you fall, the one who is there beside you as you go splat, the one who knows that your biggest gains will be from picking yourself up again. To me a hero is one who will open your eyes to the fact there is no evil villian but the one your own fears have made. Now THAT in todays society is a brave act! In our society at the moment we like to play the blame game don't we... There is no taking responsibility for our own actions any more we blame everyone else for our shortcomings, from our parents to teachers, to government, employers, even the non performing hero is likely to be turned into a zero if he doesn't live up to our 'save us from having to take any responsibility' games we play.

How many of us would even recognise a Hero that is saving us only from ourselves? How firmly are our blinkers on to the fact that we are the villian, our own worst enemy that we are wanting to be saved from? And if a true superman existed to save us in the nick of time, how long would it be before we blamed him when he couldn't get there in time to save us from the position we had put ourselves in simply because we were now prepared to take stupid risks knowing someone would get our asses out of the fire before it was all too late? How long would it be before our lack of true gratitude, our lack of true respect due to the lack of responsibility we should be taking, would turn that hero against those he was trying to save? How long before that crutch, became a wheelchair, became a coffin?

Lets face it, while we can blame someone else for our failings we will continue to die a little, we certainly won't be Living, Loving or growing!

So where is the hero that risks disdain, abuse and contempt in order to help you learn? He is the one who is there DESPITE the disdain, abuse and contempt you heap upon him, the one who will ensure you DO get up again after hitting the deck, even if it means kicking your butt until you get up yourself! The true hero is the one who comes from a place of real Love, who knows what you actually NEED better than you do and will help you get through it, maybe battered, maybe bruised, but wiser, more complete as a person, and perhaps, just maybe, ready to be a hero yourself...

So come on, hands up.... who wants that job? There is no wonder there is a lack of heroes out there huh? Takes a special type of someone to put up with all we heap upon them and still come back for more!

To my heroes.... I thank you from the bottom of my heart xxxx