I Need a Hero

There's 104 days of summer vacation...

The first day of break always makes me hum the Phineas and Ferb theme song. The summer stretches out in front of me like a cat waking up from its nap, rested and full of possibilities.

I always vow to write more. I will blog. I will work on the book. And then a craft project crops up. Or a remodel. Or a trip, and I end up with one or two sad little blogs and a page or two added to the book. I am so sadly lacking in the self-discipline I preach to my students.

But as I was drinking my coffee and scrolling through my news feed, I couldn't help but be struck by the uproar Bruce (aka Caitlyn) Jenner is making and how it has prompted an entire discussion about what it means to be a hero, what it means to be courageous.

Jenner was evidently given an award for heroism and courage in the sports world that has a good chunk of the nation's panties in a twist. (My first thought of course is why do we care?! Is that the best topic over which we can feel righteous indignation? But, I digress...)

I preface what I am about to say with this: I have no hate for Jenner, no hate for anyone. Hate is at odds with the person I want to be. If I met Jenner, I would attempt to have a conversation not unlike the one I have with the check-out lady at the grocery store or the guy sitting next to me at a conference. Jesus tells me to love others and the last time I checked, there were no qualifiers on that command.

But the brouhaha (that's for you if you are reading this Riv) that's taking up space in my newsfeed has made me think about the notions of heroism and courage, so much so that I looked up the definitions. Merriam-Webster said that an heroic act is "conduct especially as exhibited in fulfilling a high purpose or attaining a noble end." Courage is defined as "mental or moral strength to persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty."

It takes courage to be a hero, but I'm not sure that all courageous people are heroes. It's the "high purpose" and "noble end" part of the definition that are the clinchers.

People can be courageous for entirely selfish reasons – to make money, or to gain public attention. But to be heroic implies a quality of self-sacrifice, laying aside one's own needs and serving for the good of others. That's a pretty tall order.

Can a person, like my husband, be considered heroic when he goes into a burning building? Or is he courageous because he is simply doing his job? What about those serving in the military? Is being a soldier an automatic bid for heroism? Or does it take something that goes beyond what's required of everyone serving in that position? It's not an easy distinction is it?

In order to answer my own question, I go back to the definition again, and it seems to me that it is a question of motivation. Why does a person do what they do?

When a nurse works past the end of the shift without pay because he or she wants to make sure that your elderly mother feels safe before she falls asleep, I see a hero, but not necessarily courage. I read about missionaries, tortured or jailed because they were committed to sharing the Gospel, and I see both courage and heroism.

I look at Jenner and see courage, but not a trace of heroism, and it makes me a little sad that we have cheapened the word by overusing it.

The world needs more heroes, those who give of their time and effort with a "higher purpose" looking toward a "noble end," but I think we may have to redefine our national consciousness for that kind of person to flood my news feed. Maybe that's were I (and myriads of other educators) come into the picture. By teaching my students the real meaning of the word and encouraging heroic behavior, maybe I can make a first step.