Heroes


Photo by Joey Nicotra on Unsplash

Have you seen the new “Avengers” movie yet? I have and it was amazing! I'm glad I was able to wade through the swamp of internet trolls, trailers, and memes without falling afoul of any spoilers before finally plopping down in the theater. I can't help but wonder though, just what is a hero?

After spending nearly three hours watching Captain America, IronMan, Dr. Strange, StarLord and others gallivant on screen in their desperate attempt to save the world as they know it the question has crossed my mind. You see we often think of heroes in exactly this way, larger than life figures who do incredible things at incredible times for incredible reasons. Giants among men or supreme examples of courage and honor or sacrifice. But would you ever look at yourself and consider yourself a hero? Probably not.

I think that really being a hero is not about what exactly you did or do and it's certainly not about having a snazzy high-tech suit of armor. I don't think being a hero is something we can be to ourselves, we can only be a hero in the eyes of another.

Forget, for a moment, all the flashy costumed characters from the silver screen and instead let your mind recall the people in your life that have shaped you as a person. Actually these may still be the fictional heroes we all love, to be honest. The point is that a hero is not necessarily someone who does something for the world, maybe just for one person. Maybe just for you.

Where do you get your sense of honor from? What drives you to be a better person, to be more disciplined, to be more selfless, to be....more? More likely than not the answer to that question is not an idea or a principle, it's a person. Maybe your father or mother, perhaps your grandfather or a family friend. Did you have a teacher who really supported and encouraged you? Did your music instructor push you farther than you thought you could go? What about that boss who showed what it was like to really lead or a friend who showed what it was like to really live?

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Our heroes don't often wear capes (or armor, or shields, or purple shorts) but that doesn't make them any less spectacular. The people that we meet on any given day have the potential to have a profound effect on who we are and who we become. Furthermore, we have just as much potential to affect the lives of those around us.

I may not have a bat symbol on my chest (well, actually I do at the moment. I love Batman!) but I can still be a hero to my wife, my family, my friends. I can choose to love and to live in such a way as to inspire others and nudge them toward being not only a better person but a better version of themselves. We all can.

It's a rough world out there and we all need a little inspiration every now and again.

Be heroic.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Border Line

Image
Photo by Zoltan Kovacs on Unsplash I've seen quite a few posts on social media lately insinuating that any Christian who has anything to say against illegal immigration is being hypocritical. They point out that the Bible tells us to care for the homeless and those in need and so we are guilty of ignoring what we claim to believe. Some even go so far as to claim that this behavior is a telltale sign of our inherent racism and selfishness, that all of our so called righteousness is nothing more than a now crumbling facade. While I don't doubt that there are plenty of people to whom this rightfully does apply, allow me a brief defense of my own position on this particular topic if you don't mind. I would say that the issue of immigration, illegal or otherwise, as well as the whole refugee issue comes down to two distinct levels of responsibility; the individual and the national. Let's talk about the personal responsibility first. As an indivi
Read more

The Undeniable

Image
Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash The world often seems to be in a constant state of turmoil and distress. Opposing factions struggle for power in every corner of the world and our various world-views and ideologies combat for supremacy from the water cooler to the world wide web. People everywhere seem to be either searching for real truth or loudly proclaiming that it doesn't exist. Many have simply given up on a life that is meaningful; some of them cutting it short. Where can we go for any sense of reality, any solid foundation of real truth? We can argue back and forth about science and philosophy, we can debate theology and atheism, we can discuss anarchy vs. order, but let me propose that there is one thing at least that no can effectively deny. Humanity is flawed. It doesn't take much observation to prove this simple truth, you don't even have to look outside of yourself. You and I can look inside of ourselves and see selfishness, greed, li
Read more

For the Cause

Image
Photo by Heather Mount on Unsplash Do you have a life's purpose? Is there something beyond or above yourself that influences your choices? I ask because it would seem that the current of modern culture is moving more and more toward the idea that the ultimate ethic is my own freedom and choice, with the only overarching ethic being that we should support the rights of other people to also follow their own desires. While this doesn't seem too terrible an idea at the start it does lead us down a rather unfortunate rabbit hole. Modern man is more and more losing the ability to live for anything beyond himself and what he finds comfortable, enjoyable, or agreeable. Really, this is just the natural outworking of pluralism and the post-modern mentality. We've taken away any idea of a meta-narrative, of an overarching truth that explains and pertains to every aspect of life. There is no objective truth in the philosophy of modern man and thus there is onl
Read more