You’ve probably heard of hero-worship before. Probably being used in some derogatory sense by some soulless college type. There’s been a trend lately to either neuter the hero completely or attack the very idea of heroes. After all this makes sense for those in control. Its heroes that challenge the status quo, that bring balance, and that won’t just sit there and let life or other kicks them around without fighting back.
We have a society that’s obviously going off the rails. We have depressed, suicidal, and crazy women and we have weak, confused, and hopeless men (of course all those things could apply to either sex). And just things in general are a mess. One side says they have the solution as does the other, of course they’re both full of shit and things only get worse.
And a huge reason for this is the lack of heroes or a forgetting of what a hero is. Don’t get me wrong our society says that there are heroes but generally they are not true heroes they are either meddling “do-gooders” who do very little good or politicians that we’re somehow supposed to be convinced are anything other that scum, that or celebrities which the same thing applies to.
The Need For Heroes
But that is not what a hero is. Not by a long shot. Look back through history and the great stories and you’ll find what a hero is. And someone might say well that’s fiction and these people are real. But that someone would simply be revealing your foolishness for story is more powerful than “reality”. No real life person has inspired the conquest of the known world yet Achilles did this for Alexander the Great. And there are many more examples.
Heroes are meant to be a light in the darkness. To give us a idealized vision to shoot for. Not so that we can whine and cry or beat ourselves up when we don’t attain it (attainment is never possible for mortals) but rather in our pursuit of the perfect/idealized/divine we can move mountains and accomplish great feats that we otherwise would not be able to. Never underestimate a man with faith and willpower.
When we read these stories of these men who accomplish great things, live great lives, and are in general “larger than life” we get a bit of that essence within our own souls. Obviously not to the same extent as these men are men of fiction but still we get what we need from them and from their example. They don’t set “unrealistic standards” anyone who says that is either blind or doesn’t have a soul. They are meant as a beacon to light the way.
The North Star
I’ll use another analogy. When someone follows the North Star to find their way does it matter that they’ll never actually reach the star? Is that the purpose of the North Star for us on earth? No, no its not and yet we all know that the North Star is invaluable and without it navigation would be far far harder. Now maybe this isn’t a perfect analogy but I trust that you get the larger (and more important point) that I’m getting at it.
Heroes are our North Star. They guide the way and give us something to keep going towards. As Vince Lombardi once said “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” and that is what heroes provide for us. Maybe we won’t be as strong, cunning, or as good with women as Conan but we can move closer to being the ideal of a man.
Same with any other hero. This isn’t to say real life heroes aren’t something to understand and study but there is something more timeless and “pure” about fiction heroes and they serve a purpose that can’t be served by flesh and blood humans. And most confuse this with being unrealistic when what it really is is developing to the soul of a man.
Heroes Are A Threat To The Dragons
And the dragons (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) like having their power and therefore fear anything that challenges that power. And nothing challenges the power of a dragon like a hero. And there are many dragons to be faced and slain (again physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) in our lives and the lives of those around us. Without heroes the dragons will win, they’ll win Every…Single…Last…Time.
I think the Creator put a spark of heroism in every man. A spark that can be developed into a roaring flame through struggle, study, pain, and training. The dragons aren’t going to go away on their own and others aren’t going to take them away for us. This is our battle and this is our fight, and we are given the ability to do something about them. But they don’t want us to know that.
They want us calling out to a higher power that’s telling us he’ll be with us and we already have everything that we need but we must go out and fight. Or they’ll have us believe that it’s all pointless and that there’s no use in fighting. Or they’ll have us believe that they’re too powerful to ever challenge. Or a million other lies that keep them right where they want to be, in power, causing havoc and suffering.
We need heroes desperately. And don’t think otherwise.
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-Charles Sledge
