In search of true heroes

Jan 24, 2009 Editorial

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The word ‘hero’ has been hijacked for too long by Hollywood, Bollywood and the denizens of the tube. Thanks to these media ‘worlds’, we associate the word ‘hero’ with a man who has brawn as well as brains, and is always morally correct (even though he destroys public property while giving bad guys a chase).   He knows how to pick fights with the nastiest of fellows and win, regardless of their numbers. He can do no wrong, and no sustainable wrong can be done to him. He is always handsome, tall and young — even though the actor portraying him might be a grandpa.
Such a Mr Perfect mercifully does not exist in this world.  And even if he did, his desirability would quickly disappear, for the world would become a picture of destruction, owing to his conceited righteousness. One has to dig deeper in order to understand the true strength of the word. A hero is one who inspires others to achieve greater goals in life in the most trying of times, without compromising on the basic ethics of life. He never waivers in his duty, but excels in it — someone you feel like saluting without hesitation or shame.
Seen through this light, one is shocked to learn that the world has become so shorn of true heroes. It is almost as if they have gone out of production because they are no longer required or are in vogue.
One hopes they have only gone out of stock, and will soon find their way back. Until a few decades ago, they were sufficient in number, and nobody expected such a drought.
Most of these, such as Gandhi, were thrown up in the anti-colonial struggles across the globe. Since the dust has settled and, according to some, “history has also ended”, such giants are no longer needed, hence no longer coming to life.  This argument has some flaws, because building a nation is every bit as enormous as creating a nation. If tasks create heroes, then there is a long list of stupendous jobs that need to be accomplished. Poverty, disease and economic backwardness still need to be eradicated.
However, it is true that heroes of such stature are no longer visible — except for some notable exceptions, such as Nelson Mandela. The reason the world is not producing heroes is because the world itself has changed. Vociferous revolutions have given way to quieter revolutions. The objectives are not as definite and quantifiable, and the achievements are not as visible as in the case of, say, creating a nation.   A more underlying reason for shortage of heroes is the degeneration of societies the world over. From America to Guyana, societies are drowned in the pursuit of materialistic and personal goals, at the expense of values and ethics.
Consumerism has swept us away from ethics, virtues and the notion of collective benefit.
Societies are no longer able to throw up people who are willing to take up the challenge of collective well-being. That also explains the abject intellectual poverty and insincerity of politicians everywhere. So where does mankind go from here? Nature has apparently ordained that humans search for heroes for all times, and the search never ceases.
Most of the times we fall flat on our faces, because the demagogues we thought were heroes quickly expose their feet of clay.   The Hitlers, Stalins, and our very own little Caesars were made to look like heroes because we wanted someone to look up to, especially the downtrodden amongst us. It is wrong to say that there are no heroes left anymore. In our intensive search for heroes, our eyes have remained fixed for too long on the horizon from where we hope we will behold some knight in shining armour who will change our lives.  By shortening our vision, we will actually broaden it, because there are real heroes to be found that cross our paths in daily life. These smaller heroes may be devoid of charisma and ‘all-in-one’ qualities of the great heroes mentioned above. But these individuals are heroes all the same.  Should we not stop hoping for reincarnation of a Gandhi or a Mandela, and instead take time out to pay respect to these smaller heroes who valiantly struggle to keep our society going – such as the old mailman who brings our mail in the scorching sun, or the mothers who cope with the vicissitudes of VAT? So who says heroes are no more? There are plenty like the ones just mentioned. We should salute all of them for their courage, character, skill and passion for life.
They might not be “perfect” heroes, but their heroism comes from certain qualities that are far above those in an average human.  We can draw inspiration from them. We can even try to emulate them; and who knows, we might become heroes ourselves someday.

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