This is not a review of the movie I just saw. And I promise not to give much away. However, seeing The Dark Knight tonight has got me thinking about some stuff and I’m actually inspired to write more than 140 Characters on Twitter about it.
What I did write on Twitter was: Wow. Being a hero is tough work.
And it is. Certainly, these are comic book heroes and, even in the roughest city I’ve been in, I’ve never seen the likes of Gotham’s underbelly, so the scenarios are way amplified. But if we were to take it down a notch and remove all of the big scenes and explosions and psycho characters that won’t stop at anything to destroy the fabric of society, we may have an interesting metaphor for what it means to be a hero.
So what does it mean?
Well, #1, to be a hero is to be selfless. Whether it is Spiderman or Batman or Wonder Woman or what have you, these characters demonstrate a personal sacrifice for the greater good. My favorite line of all hero movies of all time was from the first Spiderman, where Peter’s Uncle Ben tells him, “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” Lots of people gain power in our world, but a hero exercises that power for the good of others. Even beyond that a hero recognizes that his or her power gained mustn’t be squandered. Idly standing by with gifts is equally irresponsible.
#2, to be a hero is to hold true to a code of ethics. Now, this may be misconstrued as many villians in our world may purport to hold true to a code of ethics, but within all of the characteristics of a hero, hurting others for personal or interest group gain doesn’t work.
#3, heroism requires action. A hero speaks up where there is injustice. A hero stands up to bullies. A hero will take the bullet when others are afraid. People that talk about being a hero but do nothing when there is much work to be done aren’t heroes. They may want to be heroes, but they need to step up to become one.
Sort of like #1, but sort of separate is the ability to be egolessness. This is the #4 characteristic of a hero. There are many heroes in this world that go unnoticed because the work they do is behind the scenes. They don’t do what they do because they want fame or recognition. Heroes do what they do because they really want to see change. Many of the heroes I know will point out the heroism of others long before they would even receive recognition for what they are doing.
#5, heroes don’t discriminate. The same code of ethics, selflessness, egolessness and action applies to everyone…even to villians. True heroes want everyone to believe. They want everyone to have hope. There are no ’sides’ for heroes. When they are fighting villians, it is only to stop them from committing heinous acts against others. When the fight is over, they will reach out to the villian with the same empathy that they would extend anyone. My favorite heroes are the ones that don’t intentionally kill anyone.
I don’t know if I have what it takes to be a hero. I get scared. I let ego get in my way. I take sides. I totally want to be. I just don’t always know that I have what it takes.
But another thing I love about heroes is that, no matter how strong their character is, they question. They falter. They have times where they don’t want to be heroes. They want to be “normal”. Spiderman has always been one of my favorite characters because, above all else, he is human and terribly torn between the gift he is given and the need for something very real, very human: love. But there is no dating for Spiderman. There is no courting Mary Jane in the manner he wants to. His responsibility is greater than that and for that reason, he must sacrifice that desire.
And, yes, Spiderman, Batman, Wonder Woman and all of the comic book heroes have extraneous circumstances. I believe real-life heroes can have love and live fairly “normal” (whatever that means) lives. But there are sacrifices and it takes dedication. And it can happen every day in all sorts of shapes and sizes of heroism.
Some examples:
- When someone says something hateful or harmful against another person or group, speak up and say that isn’t cool. Help that person examine their biases. Be kind but firm.
- If you see someone being treated poorly or in a troubling situation, ask if they would like your assistance. Sometimes that person may be too scared or proud to receive, but offer anyway.
- If you have privileges that are helping you get ahead in life, consider extending these privileges to others who need to get ahead, too. Teach free a class on using computers in a low-income neighborhood. Donate your old laptop to someone. If you have any other skills that could be transfered to others for their benefit, take the time to teach that.
- Raise awareness on issues. Use your talents to reach an audience through video, Twitter, your blog, your voice online to let people know what is going on. My favorite hero doing this is Beth Kanter. She rocks. Her dedication is unfaltering.
There are hundreds of things you can do big and small to be a hero and these things you do won’t always be popular (I’m a regular party pooper in social situations when I shut down racist and/or sexist remarks), however, every little bit helps to keep us from getting closer to Gotham. And we don’t need Bruce Wayne’s billions or Peter Parker’s radioactive spider blood, either. We all have gifts to offer.
Of course, I would be remiss not to mention HeroCamp, an event which is to profit nobody attending or organizing it, but a whole schwack of heroes are getting behind the idea of creating programs that create more heroes. That would also be a good step.
So this is not a review, but the movie did impact me. I walked home from the theatre asking myself if I could do it. If I could really be a hero. If I was prepared to be selfless, ethical, egoless, take action and non-discriminatory in my heroism. I hope so. I strive for it. I know I have a long way to go, but I can’t imagine living on the earth for any other reason but to reach that goal.
How about you?
July 18th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Hmmm, your post spawned another thought in my head – are there any truly happy super heroes out there?
Or, does the egolessness extent to such a level, that you have to be prepared not to be happy, never to be satisfied with the state of things, always strive for something more?
July 18th, 2008 at 5:51 am
The worst and most difficult part isn’t to be selfless or die for others, but it’s to live in a state of eternal suffering. It’s living in hell all the time. That’s why I often say Heaven and Hell aren’t locations, they are states of mind.
I don’t know if your ordering is on purpose, but if it is, my #1 would be – To Be A Hero Is To Be Alone.
My #2 would be what that first comment said – To Be A Hero Is To Be Prepared For Unhappiness, All The Time.
Someone may argue, heroes have the support of their fans and possibly their friends and family, except that this must follow your #5 – heroes don’t discriminate. Married coupled are committed to each other while heroes are committed to everybody. On top of that there are moments when they have to choose somebody.
Heroes have one thing in common with everybody else. It’s the fact that no matter what they do, there is always going to be somebody to disapprove and make a whole mess out of good deeds. That somebody isn’t even an enemy, but just a human.
July 18th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Seems you also need to be a little bit touched in the head to be a hero as well–tortured by something that drives you: a regret, a mistake, etc.
July 18th, 2008 at 6:30 am
All of the above comments seem to apply to *super*heroes only. I’m sure plenty of real-life heroes are happy; and you certainly don’t need to be touched in the head to have relentless drive.
July 18th, 2008 at 6:47 am
I hear ya sister! I applaud your willingness and courage to really ponder this issue. I see you shining a spotlight on this topic in your life and in the world and I honor you for it. I believe heroism also takes devotion and when its hard – perseverance… always staying focused on the mission. I believe in order to be a hero and bring about positive change in this world, I must strive every day to be the Highest and Greatest version of myself, and I allow, invite and encourage others to do the same. My mission is to create acceptance and safety in the world. I disagree with the comments that say Heroes live a life of loneliness and pain. I strive to live my life in joy, gratitude and connection – this is part of being my greatest self. Laughter, Gratitude, and Joy are contagious and powerfully healing – that’s where I put my focus, that’s what I want to see grow in the world, that I believe will make the world a better place. When I am gone, if there are people and places on this planet that remember the Light I shined while I was here and if even for a moment felt a breath of love, compassion, or acceptance – then I will have succeeded.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I love it when you see a movie or a play or hear a conversation that takes you to a new realization. Thank you for sharing the insights you gained from this experience, Tara.
I believe heroism is like perfection, in that we must always try to achieve it. And realize the tiny moments that evaporate really quickly are no less heroic than the big ones.
July 20th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Thanks Tara. I love the inspiration. It is easy to get cynical when you see so much less-than-heroic behaviour. Its also easy not to be heroic, of course, and to self-justify flight over fight.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:56 am
I love reading things like this…mostly because it assures me that I’m not crazy for asking the same questions. I’m one of the supposedly rare women that reads comic books on a regular basis, and the question of what a hero really is never ceases to plague me at random moments.
I love your list, I think it’s great…but I’m not sure that you need *all* of those things to be a hero. (My go-to example: my dad flunked out of college, got drafted, tried to go to Canada, got sent to Vietnam, fought in a war he didn’t agree with…got sent home…then REUPPED. Not entirely selflessly, and not entirely without ego. But then he finally got home, got a job, had a kid, and has done…amazing. He’s always going to be my favorite hero.) And I would ask you: is there a difference between superheroes, antiheroes, and just straight heroes? For example: Batman is usually considered an antihero…but he doesn’t kill (as opposed to Wolverine or the Punisher). What about someone who used to be a criminal, and in trying to commit a crime does something “heroic”? Or a person who tries to do heroic things and ends up creating disasters?
In other words…are there any caveats on heroism? Just a random thought.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Tara –
This sounds like perfect content for HeroCamp. Your description points to the fact that every Super Hero has a little bit of human in them…but more importantly, every human might find they have more Super Hero in them.
Great post.
kate
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
Tara or should i say missrogue!
This is a really inspiring post. I’ve found that there is a hero inside everyone of us, sometimes some people kill their hero and start doing things that harm other people. But the potential is in us. If any of you saw Dr. Horrible we can see that Captain Hammer is what a hero shouldn’t be. He is the example of all the things that a hero is not. A hero has to be some who really cares about the well being of all the people. I know that i have what it takes to be a hero, i hope i can make it happen every day!
Thanks for that great post!
Jorge
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Great post. When I was still a Physics student, I came to think something like this: “a hero is someone who rises his entropy while helps to decrease the entropy of the system”. Not as romantic as Peter Parker and Mary Jane, i´m afraid.
Years passed, I left R&D, moved to Marketing and Technology, left companies, did my own consulting stuff and more or less I think the same. With an extra thought: “increasing your entropy means stress”.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hello all…
I think these are good points, but I have to disagree that heroes aren’t completely indiscriminate. It’s not that they have a disdain for people, but they do chose some over others.
In the Dark Knight, Batman chooses to chase after saving the girl instead of Harvey Dent. Which I appreciate in this movie because in most others, the hero is able to save both.
Overall, I think the thing that might torment them the most is not being able to be themselves. The always have to hide behind another identity. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker. At least for the XMEN, they are always themselves. Isn’t that what we all long for, to let people see our true identity? To be completely honest with each other?
July 24th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
What about George Washington? “He saves children, but not the British children.” He hasn’t read your rules.