What is a hero?

[Ikkin]

More a discussion than a debate, I guess. I suppose the idea came from a Neopets board about whether or not Skarl was a hero, and I was reminded of it by the discussion board on intellegence.

So, here' the question: What makes a person a hero? I looked on Google for a definition, and here's what I found:

1. [n] the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
2. [n] a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
3. [n] (Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
4. [n] someone who fights for a cause
5. [n] (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
6. [n] a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
7. [n] Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

Now, sandwiches, mythological figures, and inventors have nothing to do with the meaning of hero I'm talking about, so we'll just ignore them for now. And, while there are literary heroes, that's not really what I'm talking about either. So, a hero would be one who (1)is distinguished by courage, nobility, and strength, (2)is a being of great strength and courage who is celebrated for bold exploits, and/or (3)fights for a cause.

Now, do these three definitions truly portray a full vision of a hero? Can there be a hero who does not fit into these expectations? Or a nonhero who fits them? Would someone who fights for an intrinsically wrong cause be a hero? What would truly be the best way to determine whether or not someone is a hero?

[Sock]

[glow=brown,2,300]A hero, I believe, is someone who saves someone, or someone who does many good deeds. Like a fireman, or a doctor. They're heroes in the right light. A hero is someone who comes when you need them most, and can save you.[/glow]

[TheEaterofWorlds]

I find it interesting that you ask if someone who fights for a wrong cause can be a hero. There are many different ways to see a situation. A cause you see as wrong others may see as right. It is a very complicated world. Some people saw/see the knights of the crusades as heros going off to free the holy land. Others see/saw them as a big group of murders plundering and taking land that did not belong to them.

I'd like to add that acting selflessly is also seen as heroic. Firefighters that charge into a burning building to save someone, they are undoubtably heros. People of great moral strength and conviction can be seen as heros, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcom X can be seen as a hero to some, and be strongly disliked by others. There are people who champion unpopular causes who are not considered heros at the time, but who history will later see as heros when the full effect of their actions is known.

It's a hard thing to define. The definitions are not *wrong* exctally, but they don't quite capture the whole concept. What makes a hero or not tends to be a matter of personal opinion, but heros tend to be the people we look up to, who influence our lives and make us want to be better people.

[Deleted]

In my eyes, a hero is someone who sets a good example and does things for the good of others and not themselves.

[theunorthodox]

This really is suuuch a broad topic.

Ultimately, my hero is a sandwhich, but for the sake of input I'll use what I'm going to be doing in fifteen minutes as an example.

My College is hosting a blood drive. They have these little stickers and fliers they're handing out that say "Donate blood and be a hero." And stuff like that. Now they're probably just saying it so I won't feel bad about being stuck with a big fat needle for half an hour, but even something simple like that can be considered an act of heroism. A little prick and discomfort for a few minutes might save someone's life one day.

Firefighters are heros. Soldiers are heros. Policemen are heros. Parents are heros. A kid who manages to get through Highschool without getting hooked on drugs is a hero. I consider it just doing what you think is right.


Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be painfully stabbed in a sensitive part of my arm for the sake of being a good samaritan....and free bagles.

[Rider]

[glow=red,2,300]I had a long, rambling, crappy story about this once. Don't ask how it turned out. It deserves to be burned.

A hero... is someone who will do the right thing, even when it's difficult. A hero is a person with wisdom to know the difference between right and wrong, and the strnegth to choose the right path.

I yammer about Jeran a lot, but there were no real heroes in the first Meridell plot. No one who said, "This is ridiculous. We're fighting over a piece of scrap metal that looks like someone scribbled their geometry homework on it!"

The second Meridell plot... Was fighting was the only way to stop Kass? Couldn't we have done a few more UN searches or something? Waited for evidence of the WMD? (Weewoos of Meridellian Destruction. I will stop my bad jokes now.)

I know that this post goes contrary to anything I've ever written about Jeran. But hey...

And remember that I'm using him as an example. (I just can't go through this post without mentioning him. I mean, look at my avatar, siggie, name, etc.) Real heroes are police, firefighters, doctors, teachers, parents, and the occasional politician. (One in a million. ) ((OK, I honestly wiill stop now.))

But as the line between good and evil grows blurrier, and the rushing tide of society grows stronger, heroes are a dying breed. I only pray that more can find the strength to rise up and battle the overwhelming odds. Lord knows I never could. You poke me and I roll over.[/glow]

[glow=yellow,2,300]And they say that a Hero can save us,
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.
I hold on to the wings of the eagle,
Watch as we all fly away...[/glow][/b]

[RJ]

The definition of a 'hero' has become really jumbled lately, like the word tragedy. People call Olympians 'heroes' and people who have been in some sort of disaster 'heroes' as well.

Atheletes aren't a hero, they're a champion, and that's only if they win.

A person who has come out alive from a disaster isn't a hero either, they're a survivor.

A hero is someone who lays their life or their dignity/reputation on the line for the sake of others. That's what it means to me.

For example; the grandma who jumped on a crocadile to save her son's friend's life. She's a hero to me.

[x2world]

Wouldn't a hero be somone admired by someone else. I mean, it fits in with all the posts I have read so far and with what I believe a hero is.

(I probably sound naive right now...)

[Bacon]

Technically, there are three types of hero other than "super-", there's longterm, direct, and indirect.




Longterm: Somebody that heroism is their job, like a fireman, soldier, policeman...

Direct: A normal person who does something heroic, like rush into a burning building to save that last person without any equipment.

Indirect: Somebody who idirectly saves a life, example: somebody that befriends a reject, which then causes the reject to not hate their life and commit suicide.

[Bacon]

Endlesslegend said:

Wouldn't a hero be somone admired by someone else. I mean, it fits in with all the posts I have read so far and with what I believe a hero is.

(I probably sound naive right now...)

Actually that's an idol.

[x2world]

Seduphe/Bacon: said:

Actually that's an idol.

Well...ya but I didn't really mean admired in that way.
What I meant was that for example if someone saves someone then that person will admire the other as their hero. If they don't admire that person then who is gonna recognize that person as a hero for him/her to be a hero?

[Princess Ember Mononoke]

I think a hero is someone who makes a real, personal sacrifice for a cause they believe in, whether that's Dox who occasionally sacrifices her time and a little bit of her body, or a firefighter who regularly sacrifices his safety, or a scientist who sacrifices her career and reputation to fight against a form of experimentation she deems immoral. Basicly, the defining trait of a hero is altruism. At least, that's how I see it.

[kittygirl]

A hero is some one who does some thing that endandures themself to help others. That gives me an idea for a story. *goes and writes*

[Kat]

Sure, we've heard of heroes/heroines who are intelligent, resourceful, brave, loyal and helpful to society. Yup, they are a big blessing to us, and it does our hearts good to see them willing to risk anything just to help people.

But you don't necessarily have to be all of these to be considered a hero. Just teaching your sister in math can make you a hero. Consoling your friend, making coffee for your parents, and simply fighting for what you believe in already makes you someone heroic, someone to look up to. I believe that simply being kind and just is enough to become a hero.

I mean, many everyday people can be considered such. The mailman for instance, because he uses the time that could be spent in a movie theater or with his family to deliver much-needed letters. Even our parents, because they're always there when we need them, listen to what we've got to say and know what we want. One of my friends is a hero simply because she stands up for me, consoles me and gives me great advice when no one would listen to me.

Yeah, like I said before, heroes need not be famous. It's their good intentions that make them stand out from the crowd.

[Bacon]

Endlesslegend said:

Well...ya but I didn't really mean admired in that way.
What I meant was that for example if someone saves someone then that person will admire the other as their hero. If they don't admire that person then who is gonna recognize that person as a hero for him/her to be a hero?

No I still think that's an "idol". There are two types of idols: "false god" idols, and "hero" idols. this would be the "hero" idols.