What is a Hero?

By Matt Langdon

Hands up, who’s sick of the word hero being overused, poorly used, and simply used up? It’s easy to blame the media for this problem, so I will. It’s not heroic to hit the winning run. It’s not heroic to play a sport with an injury. It’s not heroic to do your job. And it’s not heroic to die because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s time to take the word hero back for the real heroes.

To me, there are three different types of heroes. It’s this that causes much of the confusion – along with sportswriters. So lets try to un-confuse the situation by exploring the categories of heroes.

The Idol – Achievement and Fame

The Idol acts as an inspiration. Through achievement and the subsequent fame, the Idol provides a goal for us. We see what they did and want to replicate it. We want to be them or be like them. Inspirational people fill an important role.

Amelia Earhart spent most of her adult life breaking aviation records. Altitude by a woman, crossing the Atlantic by a woman, and so on. Her story is filled with courage, achievement, and mystery, with a liberal dash of feminist appeal. There’s no surprise that she is a hero to many. She is an idol. Just like Michael Jordan, Hillary Clinton, and Ferris Bueller.

The Action Hero – Fixing a Problem Over Time

The Action Hero sees a problem, creates a solution, and then executes it. This happens over time and it changes the world. The keyword for the Action Hero is sacrifice. CNN loves Action Heroes. Every year they hold an awards ceremony on Thanksgiving in which they recognize Action Heroes from around the world as submitted by their viewers. These people are changing their worlds through action and sacrifice.

Greg Mortenson got lost after an abandoned attempt to reach the summit of K2, the world’s second tallest mountain. When he stumbled into the village of Korphe he was nursed back to health by the entire village and treated as an esteemed guest. Wondering how he could ever repay the village, he noticed the children had no school despite a strong desire to learn.

He returned to America and dedicated his life to raising money to build a school in Korphe. He lived in his car, worked tirelessly, and asked thousands of people for money. After a series of setbacks and adventures he built the school and has since built another fifty in the area, especially focusing on providing education for girls.

Greg Mortenson is an Action Hero. He sacrificed his time and money to fix a problem.

The Reaction Hero – Split-second Decision Making

The Reaction Hero sees a problem and has to act immediately to fix it. There’s no time to plan or contemplate options. It’s now or never. The keyword for the Reaction Hero is risk.

Four years ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting in a subway station with his two daughters, aged four and six. He saw a nineteen year old man fall onto the tracks. With little time to consider his actions he jumped down from the platform to help. The lifting was not easy and before he was successful, he saw the train coming. Instead of jumping up to the platform to save himself and be with his girls, he lay the man down between the tracks and lay on top of him to protect him from the train. Six cars of the train ran over them without touching anything but Autrey’s hat. When the train stopped he yelled up to make sure someone told his daughters that he was okay. Because seeing your dad get run over by a train tends to be a little traumatic.

Readers Digest used to love Reaction Heroes. Every year up until 2008 they recognized the people who rescued strangers from blazing fires, raging rivers, and speeding trains. The Carnegie Awards also focus on Reaction Heroes.

HALL OF HEROES

A new museum is being opened. It is solely dedicated to five heroes who have shaped your country. You and your classmates have been selected to decide which five figures will be inducted to The Hall of Heroes.

On a piece of paper, each person should nominate one person. Make a list of the qualities that you think makes that person a good candidate.

Discuss your choice with one of your classmates. Then vote on the five inductees.

  • What were some of the different qualifications used to justify your nominees?
  • Is there a quality every nominee has in common?
  • Who are the heroes of your society? How do you tell? Explain.
  • Are heroes born or made? Defend your answer
  • What kind of hero (using .