In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Heroic.”
Some of us, by the age of four, already knew who we wanted to become. And it’s not uncommon for children to have heroes they admire and wish they could be like. Whether they still do as adults, I don’t know. But at least, they were inspired at one point. During my childhood, I don’t remember having a hero, a favourite hero. In fact, I don’t remember ever having a hero. I used to think that something was wrong with me… but… maybe I am ok after all. I’ll explain.
I do know who I admire and who I look up to, but could I call them My hero? I can call people ‘heroes’ because of what they have done, but I wouldn’t call them MY hero. And don’t get me wrong, I am NOT in the least downplaying their qualification as a hero! There IS a reason why I have classified them as heroes to begin with, but to me, ‘My’ suggests that if you could, you would be just like them.
All heroes, real life figures or fictional, have the heroic attribute we can more or less agree on, but are they your ideal person? A person you want to be exactly like? Let’s take Superman for example (cliché yes… but clichés are great for a reason). He is a hero and I think most of us would agree on that. All that he does and stands for is remarkable and commendable, but why wouldn’t I want to be just like him? A few reasons… but I’ll name a couple. Minus the fact that he’s a man, and I a woman – and I do love womanhood – I am just not the type to wear tacky shiny Lycra outfits. I consider myself a person with good taste and style (although some would disagree). And I like to dance, and for some weird reason, I don’t get the same vibe from him. I feel like he’s got two left feet. I’ve never been into comics so I might be wrong here. If so, forgive me.
Unless we find our ideal self in this world or in a fictional story, finding our perfect hero could be quite difficult. Because isn’t ‘Your’ hero someone you aspire to be, or wish you could be, after all? And wouldn’t your level of uniqueness reflect the difficulty in finding your ideal hero out there?
What I am getting at, is that my hero doesn’t exist, but only inside of me. My hero is the reflection of the best person I could be, inside and out. Inside, by ways of quality, attributes and values, and out by way of action and accomplishment. Alright, a bit of looks too… (and that’s why they say to always look your best!)
Think about a hero you always had at a young age. Is it still your hero ? If not, why? Do you have a hero now? If so, why is this person you hero? If not, how would your perfect hero be like?
