Once A Hero...

I have written before about the need for heroes in the world. I watched SPIDERMAN 2 tonight, and was reminded again that heroes are important, and few and far between.

Anybody who thinks heroes are defined by superpowers is flat-out wrong. The real heroes are just fairly ordinary people. I think we need our superheroes, because it gives us a standard to shoot for. I know it’s a heroic standard, and these are not real people. However, they do noble things, and that’s something that we all need to aspire to. They are not defined by super strength or the ability to fly.

Again, this is my opinion. I love comics, but some of the superheroes deserve more respect than others. Superman is far too perfect. There’s just no stopping the guy, short of some weird meteor. Bullets can’t hurt him, he can fly, move faster than almost anything known, can survive without oxygen, has a genius level IQ, etc. What CAN’T the guy do? There’s nothing heroic about jumping into a burning building when the fire can’t hurt you.

Spiderman is a better hero, in my opinion. Still tougher than anything, but more human that Superman. Spiderman has all the same insecurities the rest of us have. He doesn’t know if he will have enough money to pay the rent next week, he likes a girl that’s out of his league, and he doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to do with his life. Sounds familiar. He’s compelled to go out and try to fight the good fight, but dies not really want to do it.

Batman’s a bit better as well. He’s a guy who was so screwed up by his parents’ murder that he dresses like a flying rodent and beats the snot out of criminals for the rest of his life. It could happen. He’s basically got the same M.O as the Punisher, but a better wardrobe. Again, these two characters are not outside the realm of possibility. I think I know at least three people who are that screwed up.

I don’t consider someone like Alexander the Great as any sort of hero. Someone who sets out to conquer the world isn’t a hero; he’s a tyrant. Most generals seem to fall into this category as well. Custer (though demoted to Colonel at the time of his death) was a glory hound, and that got him into trouble. Notice I said, “most.” I think the US has produced quite a few excellent generals in the last 100 years or so, but we’ve put out some real egomaniacs as well. I don’t think that anyone who seeks glory is very heroic.

I sure don’t see much heroic in Hollywood actors anymore. There’s nothing heroic about pretending to be heroic. Likewise, there are few sports figures who qualify in that regard. Pat Tillman is one of the few sports heroes that come to mind.

To me, a hero is an ordinary person thrust into an extraordinary situation, and doing the right thing. It’s the normal person who sees what needs to be done and does it, while the rest of us run in the other direction. They do what needs to be done despite the fact they are about to mess their pants thinking about it. It’s the guy who enters a burning building, looking for victims. It’s the cop who walks into a closed business late at night when he finds the door kicked open. It’s a Marine in Iraq who walks into a house where seconds before, enemy fire was pouring out at him. Death is staring them right in the face, but they do what needs to be done anyway.

These sorts of people are just ordinary folks who do extraordinary things. Why? Nobody else will do them. They do what needs to be done despite the personal risk, and no matter the cost. They’re perfectly ordinary people, in far from ordinary situations. That’s a hero to me.