We have talked this last week about mythological and classical heroes. We also sort of outlined the definition of a hero in myth and classical literature. Do you think we still need heroes (in the psychological-social sense rather than literally) today? What does it take to be a hero now--they aren't usually divine, for example? What does that say about what we value in our society, or how we see ourselves?
I need to warn you that I will usually ask a series of questions. They aren't really separate questions that need totally separate answers. The series of questions is my way of attempting to clarify the topic, in this case "do we need heroes."
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Yes we do have heroes still. Some are truly fictional characters created with all qualities we admire ie:Batman he's good looking, brave, strong, honorable etc..the list of positive traits could go on and on. Some of us still believe in mythological figures 1 of them has lasted centuries and is divine, Christ. We still believe in him, desire to be like him in daily life and look to him in our time of need.
Having a hero gives us a grounding sense of self standard and a positive identity to seek and measure against. Mine is my mother. She is amazing in spite of me. I've never heard of Satan or someone considered "bad" anyone's hero.
To be a hero now a days you must be great at whatever it is you do baseball, politics etc or commit some sort of heroic act like defying death to save someone else, and you too can be a hero. normal people with no claims of divinity othter than Christ are usually what we think of as heroes in today's society.
I think we still need heroes today, humankind will always need someone/thing to look up to as a model, to help us set goals to which we can aspire. However, the idea of a hero has changed somewhat in modern times. In primitive cultures, such as those we are studying now, survival was in the forefront of everyone’s mind because survival came so much harder than it does now. As a result, their heroes could conquer anyone in battle, were stronger than mortal men, and were blessed with either immortality (such as Gilgamesh) or made of sterner stuff than your average Joe (Beowulf). These heroes not only survived, they grabbed life by the short hairs and tossed it over a mountain. This is what those people had to strive for; this was their ultimate goal: survival. Today, so much of our basic needs are provided for that survival can take a backseat in our minds, freeing us to strive, work, and aspire to other things. My point in all this is that with so many other things taking precedence over simply surviving, our goals, hopes, and desires take on many other forms depending on personal taste, upbringing, and geographical location. As a result of so many different interests, each of us has different heroes, and/or different ideas as to what a hero should be. For instance, someone who spends all their time working on, talking about, and racing cars would be more likely to consider Dale Earnhardt Jr. a hero of theirs than would a person who is consumed by art house cinema. I think the standard stereotypical view of what a hero should be is still ingrained in us, because when someone mentions “hero” most of us think of a righteous, morally outstanding do-gooder, like heroes portrayed in such fiction as comic books and movies. But today’s real life heroes, those whose standards we can actually strive to achieve be it in the realm of sports, art, science, music, or a mentor we look up to, these people are flawed and imperfect, just like us… and usually, people can cope with that. Many prefer it, as it makes their heroes identifiable and makes their accomplishments seem obtainable. Some still need a supernatural hero, one that is perfect and divine, but the word “hero” has been expanded, I believe, to include not just those perfect specimens with an unwavering moral code and supernatural powers, but also regular guys who have done something admirable that you yourself can strive to achieve. I believe that heroes still serve the same function as they did thousands of years ago, setting an ultimate standard for which to strive, though the goals which we strive to meet have changed drastically and vary wildly.
I think we do need heroes today to give us people to admire and something to aspire to. Like we discussed in class, it is nice when we see an average person become a great hero. That notion gives us hope that we may all be able to help mankind in some way and have a purpose on earth. Nowadays, it is actually quite easy to be a "hero." If you ask someone who their hero is they will often name a family member or teacher who has touched their life, certainly not people with divinity. Also, a great deal of preteens claim Hannah Montana as their hero, and all she does is sing well (which is disputable) and have a Disney show. She does not necessarily better mankind but girls all over America aspire to be just like her. The more obvious hero that a great deal of Americans admire is Jesus Christ, who is a divine hero. Christians aspire to live life the way he lived.
Without a shadow of a doubt hero's are still needed in today's society. In my opinion the term hero has now become synonymous with the word role model. In the ancient societies like the ones we discuss in class, hero's were almost always described as great warriors who over came tremendous odds. As such they were used to inspire people to fight and live in the same manner as they did. They were held up as the "model" of what these people should be. While in today's society we still sometimes use the word hero in the manner as our ancient counterparts did, like when we describe someone who has saved a life as a hero. But now our hero's have become more common. People look up more to the people in their everyday life. Now our model or role model we try live could be our mother, father, sister, brother or neighbor
I do believe that we still have heros in today's society. We view heroes as someone with a substantial amount of courage. a hero to me is also viewed as someone with moral values and someone who very unselfish. I look at men and women who gave their lives during the 9-1-1 episode heroes. In todays society you do not half to be devine in order to be a hero. In past culters you had to do something that was out of the ordinary in order to be called a hero. You had to be divine in some way, you had to be a warrior of some sort, and you also had to show courage and leadership abilities. We always need some sort of hero to look up to in order to feel some sort of security. Jesus christ is a good example of a divine hero. In him we feel secure. I know that I look up to him and hope to one day call heaven home.
Whether a hero, exist today depends on your idea of a hero or belief. It's obious that mythological heroes have marked or have play important role in lifes in some way. I believed that mythological heroes have been created/invented to let humans know that powers can help indiviudal obtain grater things, but powers are not the most important factor in a hero, as is human quality and wisdom. I personally believed that a hero, could be anyone that is admirable for his/her great courage, either for giving up his life for someone else or for going beyond his boundaries. A hero, looks upon others before himslef, dose not think of being reconized neverless, awarded for his actions or good will. There are humans today that have this qualities and therefor I believed heroes exit today and are still needed to keep inspriation alive and to continue encouraging humans to do right.
Heroes still play an important role in the sense that almost everyone looks up to someone else at some point in their lives. Today the idea of a hero is more broad than perhaps the way we typically look at the mythical heroes of old. Soldiers are still certainly seen as heroes in our society, but we also look up to sports figures, rights activists, and many other leaders in various public professions. I would say today we tend to value those who work hard and sacrifice to help others, so we want apply the term "hero" to these types of people, even though they don't fit the definition painted in the epics of ancient societies. At the same time though, it also seems the term is thrown around a lot more easily in our culture. Almost anybody can be a "hero" for doing just about anything in the public eye, just as long as they are good at whatever it is they are doing.
I don't think the question is "do we need heroes" as much as it is "who do we feel is a hero" in our society. Of course our heroes aren't usually divine, in fact they are pretty much to the fullest extent human. In our society, we classify "different" types of people with "different" types of characteristics of being a hero. For example, some might consider the police officers and firemen in our world heroes because they put themselves in harms way daily to save people from burning buildings and arresting the harmful criminals and law breakers, and taking them off the street to make our lives safer for our families. Now thats only one "type" of hero. A person may consider someone such as their mother, father, friend, relative, co-worker, or favorite athlete their hero. A child's mother or father could be their hero just because they admire the way they do things. They could either appreciate everything their parents do for them and because of that it inspires them to do the same as they become older. Another person may condsider their boss to be their hero. Maybe they admire their work ethic, the way handle certain sitiuations, or maybe even be holding a positon that they might wish to hold someday. So I think that we already have heroes in our society, just may different types.
Danielle, I totally agree with your comment. It actually brought up a good point that I had really thought of. By using Christ as a mythological, divine figure, it made me think a little more outside the box at the types of heroes that we have. I agree with you about how having a hero gives us a "grounding sense of self and a positive identity to seek and measure ourselves against". I believe you understood the blog head on, and you left great examples!
I agree with J griffin when he said "the term hero has now become synonymous with the word role model." These are the people that we look up to and aspire to be like daily or in whatever it is that you aspire to be. This someone has exhibited excellence in their field of expertise and set the standard for all who are to succeed them.
I also agree with martinette the question you must consider in order to define and communicate and argument to this question is "who do we feel is a hero"? Then you can access ideal qualities and envision who manifests them in our daily life.Then I was able to effectively describe my ideas of how we do need heroes today. I believe they essential when we are young and impressionable. An example is young men growing up without fathers (male role models) at home and the disastrous effects it has on the psyche.
Absolutely!! We all still have heros today whether they are human or mythological. Some examples would be celebrities,super heroes,Jesus,Buddah,Athena. The list goes on and on. There is something in these figures that our soul desires to have. Usually characterisitcs of strength and wisdom and maybe looks. A hero in our society today would be someone that has overcome major challenges and has come out successful on the other side e.g. 9/11 fire fighters,Lance Armstrong,Oprah ect. Note, these are not my heroes but merely examples. They are people that have survived and thrived!
I think we still need heroes today in order to have an inspiration in life and to be successful. Many people look up to someone they call a hero whenever they are confronted with an obstacle. Even more they want to portray the same characteristics as their hero. Today in our society a hero is not really considered divine but someone who has courage, who is loyal, determined, brave, and who will sacrifice something. There are also fictional heroes that portray these characteristics, that is why many kids consider them their heroes. Jesus Christ is divine and considered a hero to many for having the courage to sacrifice his life for us. It does not matter to what type of heroes there are, we usually tend to see their great qualities, which are what makes them heroes.
I think Ehickman raised an interesting point about young girls viewing Hanna Montana as their hero. On the surface, that sounds like a sad, superficial reflection of what our society values and where it is heading, but looking up to and aspiring to be like an attractive and popular entertainer is a concept that has been around since the days of the ancient Greece theatre. Even back then, actors had groups of fans, were highly revered amongst the people, and enjoyed special privileges because of their status as entertainers. There’s something about being a popular and pretty performer that appeals to our human nature, which gives us the desire to be like those people, which makes us view them as our heroes.
I absolutely agree with chuck that heroes have completely changed from the times when survival was man's main concern and obstacle. Back then heroes were great warriors like Beowulf who survived, defeated, and thrived. Now that basic survival is not an issue in most of our lives, we look to other qualities in a hero, which could include success, popularity, charity, kindness, selflessness, etc. That is why heroes typically include celebrities, firefighters, teachers, and family members.
I never really thought about but what Sgreen brought up about Jesus being a hero is quite interesting. I think from what everyone has said about hero's Jesus would obviously fall into this category. Jesus is a hero that transcends a multitude of cultures of cultures. I believe that Jesus represents everything a hero is suppose to be.
I believe we definately still need heroes. We all have some friends who are considered needy and for the one friend who will sit there with them is there hero. I know I have several friends who go through there own little dramas in life and when im able to help I might as well be flying around like Superman. I think that to be a hero in todays society you dont necessarily need to be doing amazing things, you just need to be there. Every single person in the world goes through a lot of problems and there hero is the ear there to listen
I’m convinced that heroes exist today but I think the definition of a hero has somehow been tainted. A hero doesn’t necessarily have to be Spiderman, but a hero can be an ordinary person, like a mother that puts her children before herself, a fireman on 9/11, or a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had a dream. Coming from a mother of two I believe it’s important that the future generation understands that a hero is far more than super powers but a person who is a leader, selfless, and has courage.
I do believe that we need heroes today. However, heroes today can be broken into two groups fictional and literal unlike those of previous era. Those heroes were both human and gods at the same time. Today’s fictional heroes are unlike the previous they seem to lead separate lives. These character give allow our minds to imaginations to wonder, and their importance can not be denied because of their success at the box office. Today literal heroes also play an important role. Heroes such as Pat Tillman an N.F.L. star that gave everything up to fight in war, the same war in which he died. Both types of heroes play very important roles in today’s society. Though, heroes today are not the great warriors of yester year, heroes in our society need to share some of the same qualities, courage, bravery, morality, and much more whether literal or fictional they both create great moral stories that can be admired.
I agree with Danielle, my mother is my hero also. Christ is a hero but he certainly is not a mythological figure. He has been talked about for centuries because he has been here since the beginning. You're right, having a hero does give us a grounding sense of self standard and a positive identiy to seek and measure againt.
Yes, we need heros today. It is different than a long time ago. Personnally I believe we need both divine (God) and non-divine heros. Heros today are people, even children who save the moment,a moment in our lives. It could be a profound experience or a smile that changes our outlook on an otherwise horrid day. I think we should all look carefully, and recognize the heros we do have, the ones who go out of their way to help someone they don't know (or someone they know but who don't expect their help.)
I do believe we still need heros today. I think it starts with a parent/child relationship. A parent needs to be a hero or someone to look up to their children and set good examples for their children. A hero to me is someone great and with a great parent it might eliminate some of the problems that we see today in our society. Along with the parents are the teachers who are also heros because they aid in shaping what a child becomes as an adult. I do not necessarily believe that a hero has to be fictional because that gives children a false sense of the world really works but some of the values of the fictional heroes can be used as aids in the raising of children.
Like most people have said on the blog, a hero to most is usually a parent. I also see my mother and father as heroes. They have been great givers of many things and have set some great examples of how to live life. Although many have said they see their parents as heroes, there are many people also that would see their parents as the anti-christ so I feel lucky to have the parents/family that I do.
So it looks like everyone believes that heros do still exist in our modern society. I agree with Talitha that we need human heroes and super natural heroes in our every day life. The super natural heroe is someone we can look to when there are no human heroes around. Some people do not have human role models so they either have to look to someone outside there sphere or they have to look up to a super natural heros e.g. Jesus, Buddah...an archetype. Personlly, I have both a super natural hero and many other human heroes that I look up to.
I agree with everyone that heroes still exist and are a major part of our lives. I agree with martinette packer that there are various types of heroes with different qualities and characteristics. A hero is whoever we want to consider a hero, always having in mind their great qualities. While I consider my parents my heroes,someone else may consider an animal, a celebrity, or even a cartoon character a hero. Heroes usually tend to portray the same qualities.
I agree with jgriffin. We do as a collective group view heroes today in the same time. There is no doubt that the firemen of 9/11 we heroes. They do not have superpowers, but they did have courage. And there is no doubt that parents can be heroes even if they dont kill thousands of people in battle. heroes are no longer great warriors but rather people that we can relate to in our everyday life and aspire to be like.
I think it is interesting that everyone has taken such a deep viewpoint to tihnk of parents or teachers as heroes. It shows a lot to me that people recognize that teachers really do a lot to contribute to everyones future. Without teachers every single other profession would disappear. I like that for all the heroes and there traits that physical prowess was not mentioned as a big factor, As a person who is rather short I know that I'd never be the 6 foot 2 very strong superman type, but it is nice to know I still can be a hero
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