What makes a hero

In the most general sense, I believe a hero works to enhance, mediate and/or save life and/or a way of living. This may mean sticking up for what you believe is right in the face of adversity or as a minority opinion. Or it could mean saving lives.

I dispute the claim that villains "make" heroes or that trying circumstances ALWAYS "make" heroes. We see heroes in the most habitual or routine terms. There is a such thing as an "everyday" hero.

 

More on the Hero stuff:

As I have stated there are 4 stages of the Hero Journey

Difficult
Dangerous (Risk)
Importance
Transforming (Life Changing)

There are two types of heroes, external (Risk Life and Limb) and Internal Heroes (Risk Sanity)

The internal heroes would be like the Native Americans who performed Vision Quest. In these vision quests, they would be confronted with both good and evil visions. The Internal Hero's ability to overcome the evil vision is risking Sanity. If they do not over come the forces, then they lose all Sanity. Aften, the evil visions will tempt the hero with Wealth, Power, Lust, and Temptation.

For example: when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights he was tempted by the devil with wealth (turning rocks into bread), power of all the nations, and temptation of having God stop him from falling off of the mountain. Jesus over came the evil vision. Thus he qualifies for the internal hero.

An example of an external hero would be Abe Lincoln. His job was difficult in keeping the union together. His job was dangerous because his life was at risk and taken. His job was important for the surival of the United States. His job transformed the world or at least the history of the United States.

an example of a non external hero. Baseball players chasing the home run record. Difficult, yes. Dangerous? There is no risk to the player's life while they perform on the field. Is it important to the grand scheme of history? No it's not. Is it transforming? It's exciting, but will not transform your life style.

Here is the path of the Hero journey:

The Call - A sense to change for change, but you don't quit know what.

The Guardians - The forces that try to prevent change and keep the Status Quo

The Gift - An idea you never knew existed is brought before you

the Guardians return to stop your actions

Then the Return where you bring your idea to other people.

 

why dont we stay away from religion in this thread, state whatour personal opinions about heroes, and not question them. please.

 

Let's keep this thread open so I can find my tenth grade english notes and post them.

 

My room is such a damn mess, And I have no clue where to begin looking for those notes. At anyrate, the particular set of notes I wanted from my 10th grade English notebook dealt with what makes a hero. More to the point, the characteristics, or traits, of a hero. It was a list of characteristics or traits one would expect to find in a hero. Mind you, at the time we were studying Greek and Roman mythology and this list came from what we observed of the heros in those myths. The list was something like the following:

Strength
Courage
Intelligence
Cunning
Bravery
Loyalty
Determination
Honor
Leadership
Compasion
Faith

I really need to find my notes to post the list. But the basic deal is that a hero needs to display some, if not all, of the characteristics/traits listed above.

 

I have to run, but given the events of SBS, I wonder how this discussion might apply to Jedi featured in NJO HC#3. (Y'all know who I'm talking about!!!)

 

My definition of a hero is really quite simple:

A hero is an ordinary person who does extraordinary things.

If do things that would appear to be beyond your ability (or reasonably beyond your ability), you are a hero.

Kimball Kinnison

 

I do believe that someone who is willing to die for his beliefs is courageous, though not necessarily a hero. The hijakers of the fights on the attack on america were, from a certain point-of-view, heroes. They had the strength of there convictions, and did what they thought was best. They killed thousands, but so have many individuals in our history.

More importnant than dying for one's beliefs, however, is a combination of courage, intelligence, loyalty, compassion, and a willingness to work and suffer.

Following that, we can look at many of our heroes, and see that they all share these qualities. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for one, or Mahatma Gandhi. We can look to Mother Theresa, and other, well known heroes.

We can also look to the less-known heroes, whose contributions are no less. The firefighters and police officers of our country, who risk their lives on a daily basis.

There are many examples of heroes. They come in many forms, not necessarily those that we might think of at the mention of the word "hero" but heroes, nonetheless.

 

With all the talk about the hijackings, it brings to mind this quote I heard someone say after the attacks.
"We are the re-United States."

I'm not an American, but I thought some people here could certainly relate to it.

 

Some may call it self-promotion, but here's to a fictional hero:

One true hero died today.
In our tears we're swept away.
With grief and sadness we wonder why,
the brave and pure of heart must die.
He fought, he loved, he sacrificed,
To save his commrades he gave his life.
It's not fair and so we weep,
that the strong and virtuous are not ours to keep.
A warrior enduring a lasting apin,
Please don't let him die in vain,
To make it worth it; to make it right,
Continue the morals that helped him fight.
One true hero died today,
In our tears we're swept away.
Mourn him now and feel deep sorrow,
But get up and fight again tomorrow.


Anyway, that's just some of my thoughts on heroism and SbS.

 

What makes a hero?

Heroism involves:
-A courageous act-however small.

-Placing personal priorities below those of others.

-No direct personal gain.

-The preservation of Good, even at great personal expense.

And yes, there IS a universal definition of good. To deny that there is any distinction between good and evil is to mock anything resembling civilization. This denial places Man among the animals, and excuses any atrocity as simply an extremity in the exercise of free will.

 

I'd say a hero is someone who displays moral courage.

 

And yes, there IS a universal definition of good. To deny that there is any distinction between good and evil is to mock anything resembling civilization. This denial places Man among the animals, and excuses any atrocity as simply an extremity in the exercise of free will.


Pray tell, what is the universal definition of good?

Also, I may go as far as to say that all atrocities ARE extremities in the excersizing of free will.

 

what makes a hero? they need a cape, for one thing. or they can shoot webs and stick to walls. LOL. Just kidding.

 

"Pray tell, what is the universal definition of good? "-darthparth

darthparth, I reccommend to you the Ten Commandments. Then the Torah, of course along with the Talmud.

Ever heard of Albert Schweitzer? His basic rules are a great example, albeit slightly oversimplified.
Mother Theresa is another good example.

I really didn't mean to bring religion into this. That is just the easiest way to define right/wrong.

Let's start with this, from Schweitzer:
Good is that which promotes life. Evil is that which destroys life.

Would you agree with that, at least?

 

The question is not whether they ARE extremities of the exercise of free will.

It is a question of whether they are EVIL or ONLY extensions of free will.

To say that good/evil do not exist is too say that no action is more reprehensible than another. That is why I defend the existence of good/evil...

 

I'm not denying the existance of Good and Evil, just the statement that there is a universal understanding of them. Some people, much like the Vong, believe death is sacred. Others believe life is sacred. How, then, can we say that everyone believes that Good only promotes life and Evil destroys it.

g2g now, but this is fun!!

 

Don't feel bad. My church is an splinter off of the Episcopal church, which itself was born of the Anglican church. and the Anglican church got started because the king of England wanted to dump his wife and marry a younger and prettier woman. The Pope said, "No you can't." The King said, "Oh yeah? Watch me, I'll start my OWN church." Actually, the Anglican roots go farther back than that, almost all the way back to Druid times. All religions have parts of their histories of which they're not so proud...

 

Ahhhhhh, but sir,

I never said that there was universal UNDERSTANDING of good/evil.

I said that there is a "universal definition" of good/evil.

By "universal" i meant "applying to all," not "used by all." Perhaps my wording should have been "universally applicable definition."

To argue that everyone agrees on the exact nature of good/evil would be rediculous.

However, I never intended to. I simply meant that there are certain evil/good standards in the world that can be applied anywhere, anytime and hold true, reguardless of local beliefs or "zeitgheist".

 

Reading through this thread is giving me a headache. What about Dark Hero's?? What makes a Dark Hero??

 

Many things make a Hero.
Risking or sacrificing your life for others.
Standing up to bullies or things you fear.
Saying no when people try to pressure you into things.
Giving someone who is hungry a sandwich.
Helping someone change a tire on the freeway.
Someone who teaches others things they need to know.

It's easy to say someone who rushes into a burning building is a hero but many others in the world should be looked as heroes too. It all comes down to people who make other people's lives better somehow.. they are heroes.

 

A hero is not necessarily a man with a sword or a gun, willing to fight for a cause. With time and changing perceptions, even the best of intent behind actions can come to be looked upon as evil, while the worst of actions can be looked upon as being good. Whether the man with the gun is good or evil depends on which side of the man you are on. He doesn?t seem very heroic when he?s pointing the gun at your own head.

Two hundred and some odd years ago, a bunch of citizens of the British Empire staged an unlawful revolt against their rightful King. Those who remained true to the mother nation were considered traitors by those nefarious rebels, and were forced to flee the country when the rebels won out. People lost their homes, livelihoods, and families were torn apart when loyalists were forced to flee the country due to the greed of the rebel ringleaders.

Sound familiar at all? It?s all about point of view. From the point of view of Americans, their founding fathers were heroes willing to stand up for what they believed in. From the point of view of the British at the time, those same people that the Americans call heroes were criminals, committing treason against their King. From the point of view of much of the Western world, the 9/11 terrorists were evil. From an extreme-fundamentalist-Islamic point of view, they are heroes. If, two hundred years from now, America is an extreme-fundamentalist-Islamic state, it may be that the 9/11 terrorists are looked upon as brave freedom fighters, and the ideals and actions of George Washington are reviled. With time, perceptions of good and evil may change dramatically.

Heroism is not linked to causes. The cause is irrelevant.

 

I think Doright nailed it on the head.

Heroism is to make the world better or more bearable to someone else. If you help someone out, even if it's something as small as lending somebody some gas money, you are a hero to that person.

 

"Pray tell, what is the universal definition of good?"

There is an international document which states the basic rights of all people. Now this document is not binding anywhere. However, it would be a good guideline for what the world accepts as good and evil so to speak.
Note: It pretty much condemns stealing planes and crashing them into buildings full of people.

And I don't know. I should probably keep this to myself but i'm going to say it anyway: As mentioned earlier whethat girl who had a gun pressed to her head and was shot because while the gun was pressed there she said she was a Christian and believed in God. I mean ok it could be very herioc and she could be made into a martyr and she may have been a great person and everything, but am I the only person who finds that to be just a little stupid. It's like she asked them to shoot her. Ok, that's all.

 

Examples of "Dark Hero's" would be such as the comic character Spawn or the more realistic character The Punisher. A Dark Hero would be someone that takes the law into their own hands and goes out and kills people that are "guilty" of very serious crimes such as rape and murder. A Dark Hero doesn't really save "innocent" people, they just want to destroy "guilty" people. A good example of a Dark Hero from the EU would be during the Jedi Academy trilogy when Kyp Durron wanted to go on rampage with the Sun Crusher by destroying the Empire system by system. Fighting for good but doing it in a "bad" or "evil" way could be another thing that makes a Dark Hero. Though, a lot of the time Dark Hero's tend to go a little too berserk and end up killing "innocent" people that they didn't mean to kill. And when this does happen they start to hate them selves which could result into commiting suicide or banishing them selves to isolation. The only way for them to come out of this self punishment is if they are "forgiven" by someone, mainly by someone that they love or trust. Dark Heros could also be called Renegade Heros. The NJO needs a Dark Hero, then maybe they can finally defeat and get rid of the Vong.