Since May is a huge month for superhero movies ("X-men Apocalypse" and "Captain America Civil War," which you should see both if possible), let me help you and everyone reading this become a hero. First, I will bring up a situation where some normal, healthy people, like you or I were convinced to do something against the grain. In the Stanford Prison Experiment, Philip Zambardo found “that how otherwise exemplary individuals can be easily persuaded, when their social framework is skewed or altered, to perform acts that go against conscience, and behave in ways they would ordinarily find despicable.” This is because we, as humans, want to conform to our role, and in the case of the Stanford Prison Experiment, some individuals conformed to stereotypes surrounding guards or prisoners. But this is because we do not encourage or empower individuals to make the difficult but moral decision, a heroic choice, when faced with challenging circumstances, according to Zambardo. We can change this though, and we need to because no one should ever have to grow up without a hero.
In a society where athletes, celebrities and the rich are in the lime light for their perfection, triumph and wealth, where is a positive, attainable role model out there for youth, young adults and those who may be lost in the regularity of life? These ‘heroes’ are out there, however what we need to know is what constitutes being a hero and why do we need them so bad, but most importantly, why this all begins with you and me.
You may be asking me, "What is a hero?"
The term “hero” comes from ancient Greeks. A hero “was a mortal who had done something so far beyond the normal scope of human experience that he left an immortal memory behind him when he died, and thus received worship like that due the gods," according to Santa Clara University.
Heroes also had flaws back in this time. “Originally, heroes were not necessarily good, but they were always extraordinary; to be a hero was to expand people's sense of what was possible for a human being.”
What happened to this belief? Today heroes represent an unattainable or unreasonable beauty, wealth, devotion, or sacrifice. We see heroes like Superman or even Beyoncé who are people we can never be or even compete with. Everyone has different opinions on what makes one a hero, and this can be misconstrued. People who followed him saw Osama Bin Laden as a hero, which to much of the world is a shocker. According to Santa Clara University, “Devotion is very strong but directed toward the wrong heroes.” This can lead to bad ideals and misconstrued actions, like those in the Stanford Prison Experiment. These men thought what they were doing was right. They were just portraying a character for the experiment, but they lost themselves easily. Think of how moldable humans are, this scary thought can spread and many can follow something blindly, and are today.
But we can avoid this. We have everything we need to become a hero, big or small. The possible ingredients of a hero include courage, skill, and selflessness, but these can vary.
Do not be in it for the fame. Let your actions behind the scenes make a positive and enduring impact on others. Being a hero doesn’t have to be obscure or require a mask. It is just things that are familiar to every human; donation, curing illness, compassion in times of need, saving lives, being an advocate, walking the road not taken to fight for something you believe in. These little acts of kindness can save a life, change someone’s world and make you a hero, but we lose this all through believing we can’t make a difference because we are just one person in a world of billions, and that is why we need heroes. Problems are only escalating such as diagnoses of cancer, war, poverty and pollution. We need those who will take a step in the right direction, who will shine a light on these dark issues because they shape who we are and what we can be. As a child, being so malleable, we can really be motivated by good idols. As college students, we are looking for the opportunity to live in the real world, and a little inspiration such as a hero would help push us.
We do see these heroes in action every day from doctors to teachers, researchers, firefighters, military, parents, caregivers, friends, and family. We can all become someone’s hero, but it begins with us and our actions. We are the next generation, the next doctors and scientists, parents and politicians. We have the chance to change the course of history, we can find the cure, and we can raise our children to live a happy, full of love life.
If we recognize our weakness and see that failure is a part of the process, we can come together and be each other’s strengths. We can be a world with little weakness, little pollution, and a big heart. We just need to take the first step, teach our children, grandchildren to idealize the right type of person. We need to take hold of the reigns of the future, fix the problems set before us by our previous generations and start being the everyday heroes we can be. Let’s make ordinary the new extra ordinary. We need the right set of influences, ones with courage, selflessness and true inspiration that will live way beyond the human life span. It starts with us, the next generation to show it’s not too hard to be a hero, big or small, because anything can make a difference. You do not need to sacrifice your life or everything you have, but time and taking the first step will help you lead a life full of legacy and perhaps become someone’s, a group, a society, or even our world’s hero. Now is the time to lead, to learn, to get out there and fight for something that you love and believe in. You don’t need to be able to read minds like Professor X or have a suit of armor like Iron Man to be great. You just need you.
