So, as I was listening to the song 'Hero' by Superchick, yes don't judge me, I like some of their music, it got me thinking. What truly does make a hero, a hero? Can anybody be a hero? And so, the first thing I do is delve into the dictionary. The dictionary definition for hero is as follows:
he·ro [heer-oh]
–noun, plural -roes; for 5 also -ros.
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
4. Classical Mythology .
a. a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.
b.(in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.
c.(in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.
5. hero sandwich.
6. the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich.
Now, of course, I'm not thinking of the sandwich kind of hero. However, I find it interesting that the first two mention heroic acts that must be done for someone to be deemed a hero. I'm also not talking about superheroes, or any classic mythology. In the song 'Hero' by Superchick, they say that "Heroes are made when you make a choice." Now, who can make a choice? Its simple, everyone makes choices, from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep. However, its the impact of what you do that truly makes the choice a 'heroic act'. Now, even then, does this mean that every person that performs a 'heroic act' is a hero? I don't believe so, because it would be hard to define a heroic act and thus makes a hero vary from person to person.
I guess what I'm trying to say really, is a hero isn't really anyone special. Its someone who makes a choice to do something awesome that impacts someone elses life. They probably aren't regarded as heroes, but hey, nobody ever gets the credit they deserve, do they. Heroes are personal, each person has their own and they may have a number of them. Does this make each hero any less special? No. A hero to a child may be his father who scared away the gremlins from under his bed, a hero to a homeless man may be someone who actually stops and buys him a meal, a hero to a teenage girl may be her best friend that just helped her through a hard breakup. Who your heroes are don't matter, but don't take them for granted. They are what makes life for everyone so great.
