In his latest Netflix special Dave Chappelle, one of the best comedians of his generation, made an analogy of his life goals and the role he wants to take part of in the world:

“I don’t want to be your hero. I want to be rich. Never choose to be a hero, ‘cause heros die uncomfortable deaths. All I wanted to be was Paul Revere. I just need one heroic moment, you understand? ‘Paul Revere’s Ride” was only one night. And then 40 years of him being like, “Hey, yáll remember that time everybody was asleep, and I was up, and the British was coming? Boy, It’s a good thing I was awake...everybody be dead. Psh.”

I realized how he felt when hearing that. I understood that while he's one of the most famous comedians in the world, the burden of fame and knowledge was too much for him, which is why he walked away from performing a long time ago until recently. Fame, knowledge, and most importantly, heroism may make you known and celebrated by millions, but it puts a heavy burden on you.

In the past, I had the opposite thoughts. I wanted to be a hero, one who was in the trenches in the war between good and evil. One whose sacrifices would benefit millions and my story would be told for generations to come. Statues, quotes, memorials, from average joe to symbol of good.

I’m not trying to say that I’m giving up on helping make change for the better of the world, but I have learned that being at the forefront and the face of any cause is a burden that no typical person can take. The people who do, with ideas ahead of the curve and begin a big conversation, are often beaten down physically or mentally by the society, sometimes to death.

The benefits and payoff this person gets is something most heroes don’t live to see. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, Gandhi was shot, Abraham Lincoln was shot, John F. Kennedy was shot, and John Lennon was shot. Socrates was sentenced to death and Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy. These peoples words and messages live on forever as symbols of hope and good, but none of them lived to enjoy it.

I believe that it’s not just supporting the cause that makes a person capable of carrying that burden, but their motivation has to lie deeper beyond that. Going through traumatic experiences that makes you genuinely motivated to lead the discussion and knowing that the consequences are ahead. A friend of Dr. King was told by the man himself that he won't make it to 40, he was killed at the age of 39.

Then there is also the fame factor, it may seem great for everyone to know you for a talent or skill you have, but after a while it gets exhausting. You can't get un-famous all-of-the-sudden, you can't stop from having random strangers come up to you and act like they know you. You can't find your privacy, especially in the social media age. And while it takes years of hard work and luck to make you famous, you can become infamous in just a few minutes with one bad mistake.

Even the best artists and creators of the world often draw inspiration in their work through pain. Their methods aren't just mastered overnight, it's years and countless hours of hard work and practice. Great artists ahead of their time don't get recognized immediately and are miserable for it. Vincent Van Gogh, the classic example of a suffering artist, cut off his own ear and committed suicide. Sylvia Plath, recognized as one of the great poets of the 20th Century, committed suicide by putting her head in the oven at the age of 30, never living to see her work and her voice be celebrated. J.D. Salinger and Emily Dickinson are two of the most famous authors of all-time but spent their entire lives living in recluse. All that work, loneliness, suffering, and none of them enjoy the success that comes too late.

And finally is the burden of knowledge. Knowledge is important and can make a powerful weapon, but knowing every grim detail about a situation or event can be taxing. Even without fame, knowing everything takes a certain romanticism out of a lot of stuff. Everyone sees the floating head while you see the man behind the curtain. Knowing things is a great gift no doubt, but knowing too much can make you alienated from others in your social life and keep you from having a normal conversation.

It seems ironic but being the face of a cause, the smartest person in the room, or the most famous person in your neighborhood can make one the loneliest person. Sometimes it's better for your body and mind to just live a normal life and be with friends and family, the only ones who know you intimately.

While I do believe in one’s power to carve out their own destiny, it takes something deep within the heart and soul that makes one capable of handling the burden of being a hero and the sacrifices that come with it. And the ones who don’t have that but still fully support it are the ones who stand beside and help along the way. Each person contributing one step at a time towards the peak of the mountain. It also takes the motivation and desire to be an expert or to be as recognized for one's talent in the world.

In that regard, you should go with what your gut and mind says, and carve out that path as we each fall in as a piece of this vast, complex puzzle.