Heros

Heroes

William R. Colagrande, MS

While the contribution that cultural heroes play in society is as old as civilization itself, it is sometime difficult to keep up to date on whom those heroes are. An examination of the function and identity of contemporary heroes could prove to be both interesting and informative.

In mythology or folklore a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character that quintessentially embodies key traits exalted in the originating culture. The hero commonly possesses superhuman capabilities or idealized character traits which enable him or her to perform extraordinary, beneficial deeds that inspire fame. A role model, on the other hand, carries out a role demonstrating values, ways of thinking and acting which are considered good and hopefully inspirational to others. The operational difference between the two is that while the hero is larger than life, outside of our realm of contact, the role model is often someone with whom we are acquainted personally and have frequent contact.

When I was growing up I had two heroes, Willie Mays and John F. Kennedy. Willie always struck me as happy and energetic, a great athlete who played hard, had fun and seemed a model citizen both on and off the field. He was a joy to behold. JFK was a bright, optimistic and charismatic leader poised to carry us through the challenges of the cold war and initiate a new era of civil rights. Needless to say, both were far removed from my everyday life, but both served a vital function. I drew comfort and encouragement just knowing they were there; just thinking of them inspired me to go about my daily tasks with a little more pride and confidence and an ambition to succeed and be a useful citizen.

Perhaps such hero worship isn’t even possible today. In those simpler times the darker side of the lives of public figures was kept secret and was largely unknown to the general population (a definite asset to maintaining hero worship.) Sometimes I think we’ve paid too high a price for that loss of innocence.

So who are today’s heroes? Don’t confuse heroes with celebrities; celebrities are the rich and powerful, whose lives, loves, whims, and eccentricities are relentlessly paraded before us by the mass media. They constitute a tepid substitute for heroes and are rarely role models. If anything, their popularity would seem to demonstrate an underlying cynicism that suggests that money, power and fame are what really count and that even the most crude or undeserving individuals can luck into them.

Who are our young people looking up to? That is a question really worth asking. The choice of who is admired reveals a great deal about the attitudes and values of the admirer. In order to get some clarity and be grounded in the subject, we first have to ask ourselves whom we admire and why. What does that admiration say about who we are? What values and attitudes to we imagine we see in our heroes? What does it mean if, in fact, we admire no one?

Once we have begun to answer those questions, I think it would be very enlightening to make similar inquiries of our children or young people in general. You can interview them gently on the topic (remember the KGB went out of business years ago) by asking whom they admire and why. Be sure to maintain an appreciative tone and avoid any tendency to react with amusement or alarm: you are being admitted to an inner world of meaning and need to demonstrate the respect that privilege deserves.

If your child does have heroes that you approve of, you can encourage them in fostering a stronger sense of identification with the positive values involved by helping them decorate their room with posters, for example or encouraging them to learn more about other people with similar or complimentary values. You can choose to share stories of whom you admired as a youngster and why, and how you demonstrated that admiration. You can help foster identification with positive role models, someone who is actually a part of your child’s life, a favorite teacher, neighbor, clergyman or cop. I’m sure you have contact with parents of children similar in age to your own; perhaps you can brainstorm with them on creative ways to address this very important developmental need in your children’s lives.

One of the great things about beliefs in an afterlife is that since nobody really knows what it is (or if it even exists at all), it can be whatever we’d like it to be. In my version of the afterlife, there will be this huge telephone directory and you’ll be able to call up anybody who ever existed and meet them for drinks and dinner. I have been known to occasionally ask people who they would call and why and have always found the answer to be interesting and informative. (For those who are dating, it can be quite a useful diagnostic tool!) Aside from Say Hey and JFK, I’d like to meet Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, C. S. Forester, George Orwell, Jesus and my grandparents (who I hardly knew because they didn’t speak English). What about you? Who would you like to sit down with on some open air deck on a mild midsummer evening sipping gin and tonics? It’s a wonderful fantasy that connects us with the best of our hopes and dreams and says a lot about who we are and what values we hold dear. Have fun and bon appetite!

2006

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I’m always interested in hearing your comments and feedback on my essays. You can send them to be by e-mailing bill@i4hd.com