Hero

We need unbelievable heroes again. People that we can look up to and attempt to emulate. Superheroes, gentleman detectives, unrelatable mascots of what we should all aspire to become. Heroes that are always heroes.

Superman, Captain America, and the lone ranger all exemplify selfless, heroic behavior. Society has never met these standards. But it holds true that the lower you set your sights, the lower the mark is hit.

As we turn heroes into people just like ourselves, and make the average man the roll models, we cheapen our own perception and aim simply to be like such heroes, no longer do we strive to emulate heroes that are truly faultless. Instead of this, we strive to emulate heroes that we see ourselves in, self centeredly assuming that we can be heroes, without standing above, through excellence.

There are true heroes in history, heroes that truly shaped their ages. Such heroes were not perfect, but it cannot be argued that it was their excellence that set them apart, their vision that drove them, and their passion to be more than just good, but better than was possible even.

Our society has fallen into a character void. This void is a place where excellence of passion and drive are non existent, a place where heroes have been crucified by the cynic. A place where strength of character is swallowed up

To the cynical mind, a hero cannot exist in the real world. Cynicism is born out of a desire for truth to be found. When lies are thrown around like candy at a parade, the truth seeking mind develops defense systems. These are ways of avoiding deceit. One such method is to over scrutinize all persons and ideas that are brought to them until all implied meaning, or simple life lesson, has been removed, leaving just a shell. This is how a cynic takes a good thing, like ideals, heroes, and fables, and makes them into a joke.

The process of destroying heroes was born out of good intentions, a will to find truth. But the entire culture has missed the forest because the trees were in the way. Heroes don't have to exist in the real world, just in the minds, and hearts, of people.

The ideas, the hopes that they bring, the ideals and lessons that can be learned, these are truly the purposes of heroes. Heroes are there to inspire that something better in the hearts of all men and women. To inspire that small spark to take control and step out into the unknown void and fill it. Tomake the world a better place with a simple idea, This is the purpose of a hero. We all have dreams, real heroes take those dreams to the world. They change the world in unbelievable ways. Heroes are powerful. Heroes are needed. Believe in heroes.

(Originally written, 3/15/14.)