by Jesse Mathewson

Created on: July 10, 2008

When asked this question many times we hesitate, thinking of the many people that have affected our lives. At times our answer is lofty and idealistic, Gandhi, Jesus Christ, etc. At other times our hero is more personal our father or mother. However have any of you really considered what makes a hero? What are the traits we really want to strive for and why must they be of a long dead mythological figure, or social hero? Why can't our hero merely be ourselves?

The last time I was asked this question I realized that I had never really thought it out previously. In the past I had always answered with Isaac Asimov, Dad, or some other figure. However over time I have come to realize that the defined hero is not always the hero I want to be. Webster's states that Hero is "1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b: an illustrious warrior
c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
d: one that shows great courage
2. a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b: the central figure in an event, period, or movement usually heroes
c: an object of extreme admiration and devotion."
So I began testing my current "hero's" with the criteria they require to truly be such. What I found that was while many of my hero's were not mythological nor were they warriors, at times they were legends in their respective fields or just to me. However while they had been legends I did not see them as being noble, and even in some cases they were self admitted liars or worse. I began to search based on where I have discovered I want to be, and the path I have chosen that may be a logical choice for a hero. I found that unfortunately there was no logical choice, and even on a purely emotional side I still saw them all falling short.

Consolidating individual traits from multiple people enabled me to create a hero that stood the test of both time and logic. I realized that I could only truly see someone as a hero if they were similar to me in life path, as well as largely moral creatures. Interestingly even though I am not a "believer," or religious person I do have a firm set of moral guidelines and hold myself fully accountable to these. Many times my chosen hero's were unable to fully match these requirements however when I pick and chose the segments that were preferable and matched them to the others I created the perfect hero.

So when asked the question, "Who is your hero?" I answer with a perfectly serious face, "My Hero is I." Many times people stop, hesitating not sure what or how to respond. But at times I get a quite serious answer to this, "how can you be your own hero?" I answer with the following, "As a hero to myself I rarely let myself down, I follow the moral obligations I have set, and I am a legend in my own mind." People laugh and I can see those thinking thoughts that are extremely transparent such as, "arrogant prick, or wow what a doofus." Seriously though who else can be a perfect hero when you truly feel you must have one? People refuse to agree that you do not need a hero, I have multiple people that have made impressions on my life, both negative and positive and sadly many times they have made both these impressions. So why should I not be my own hero? Or why not have a hero at all? I would rather have a list of people I look up too and whose lives have shown me what to be, or more importantly what not to be. So when someone asks you who your hero is what is your answer?

hero. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved July 7, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero

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