What is a Hero?

Ting Wei Chang & Daniel Weir

Definition:

A hero is someone who has made brave, selfless or noble accomplishments that are beyond what is expected of them, either when severely impaired or while willingly putting themselves into danger.

Questions & Answers:

1. What is the difference between a true hero and a personal hero?

Answer one:

A true hero is usually publicly recognized for his/her brave, heroic act. For example, Harriet Tubman, a former African-American slave who, despite all danger and risks, saved more than 300 slaves and led them to freedom. She could, of course, be considered a heroine because of her selfless accomplishments. (Lewis)

A personal hero, on the other hand, does not always fully meet the criteria of a hero and is usually specific to a single person. For example, to someone who has a dream to become a novelist, J.K. Rowling may be his/her heroine because of her achievements in novel writing. In most cases, personal heroes are people who people look up to as a model or idol.

Answer two:

The only consistent difference between the two is that personal heroes are specific to an individual person. There may be some flexibility in what can be considered a hero if it is opinionated by an individual. If Steve Jobs is Tom's hero then Steve Jobs is someone's hero. If Terry Fox is my hero, your hero, and everyone else's hero, then he is everyone's hero, effectively dropping the “everyone's” int front of the “hero” since it is obvious.

2. Can someone with a criminal history be considered a hero if they

otherwise meet the requirements? If not, what sort of crimes would the

potential hero need to have committed in order to be denied the title of hero?

Answer one:

If the crime is not serious to the extent of criminal being shunned from society, then they can still be considered a hero. The heroic act makes the hero; we cannot deny a person’s courageous actions just because of their past, even if it does not reduce the seriousness of the crime. For example, a murderer named J.J. Malone turned out to be “an award-winning journalist and founder and editor of Crime Magazine” after “serving four life sentences for a murder and armed

robbery”. (Crime magazine)

An example of someone who could never be considered a hero would be Adolf Hitler. While he put himself into danger for his country many times during World War One, his later evil deeds erase all possibility of normal society looking up to him as a hero.

Answer two:

In order for a criminal to be recognized and praised for their heroic deeds, the crime they committed can not outweigh the courageous act. A murderer can not be considered a hero for stopping a thief from stealing an old woman's purse. The same murderer could be considered a hero for risking his life to disarm a bomb set in the middle of a city.

3. If someone meets all of the requirements of being a hero, but did not

knowingly risk their life. Can they still be considered a hero?

Answer one:

Sometimes people tend to do things without thinking, or even realizing what they’re actually doing. Subconsciousness is “a flow of awareness without logical obstructions”, which means some actions are being done without much thinking, especially in an emergency . (Kriyananda) Even if it was one's subconscious that made them react to a dangerous situation heroically, the person would still be considered a hero. Whether the person is aware or not of the dangerousness of the situation, or whether there was any danger to begin with, is unimportant. All heroic acts, no matter what the intentions of the hero were, makes the person a hero.

Answer two:

If the situation involves no danger but the individual has met all of the other criteria for being a hero, then it comes down to what the selfless, noble or brave act actually was. Jonas Salk was the man known for creating the first polio vaccine. When the vaccine was ready for use, Salk distributed it with no plans for personal financial gain. He gave his live saving hard work away for free to the public. For this many people consider him a hero. A smaller noble act than this might simply be considered a “noble act” and not a heroic act. Even then, many would not consider Jonas Salk to be a hero, instead they might consider him noble or selfless.

4. If someone fails at doing a heroic act, but they still put themselves in the

face of danger and tried their best, are they still considered a hero?

Answer one:

Gaining the title of ‘hero’ is not about how much a person has accomplished,

or how dangerous the situation the person has put him/herself into. It is about whether or not the person has shown the ability or the intention of doing something courageous for the sake of others, without the intention of gaining public respect. Even though the person may not have completely achieved the heroic act, as long as he/she tried their best in the act which risked their lives for the sake of others, they could still be considered a hero/heroine.

Answer two:

The title 'hero' is given to people who have met the criteria stated in the definition: “someone who has made brave, selfless or noble accomplishments that are beyond what is expected of them, either when severely impaired or while willingly putting themselves into danger.” One who has tried and failed at completing even tho most courageous of heroic acts can not reasonably be considered a hero. Without contributing anything to anyone, how could someone be recognized as a hero?

5. If someone has the potential to do a heroic act, but they are never given

the chance. Should they be considered a hero/heroic person?

Answer one:

The way we deem a hero is based on his/her actions. A hero can only be proved to be one when she/he has done an act that has been generally recognized for its significance. A true hero will have a chance to become one if she/he tries hard. A potential hero is as much a hero as a potential artist is an artist.

Answer two:

Everyone with the potential to make a heroic accomplishment is a hero. Chances are that someone who could be a hero has already made many selfless or noble acts, even if that person has not put themselves in danger while doing so. If we are to believe that everyone who completes a noble, courageous or selfless act is a hero even without putting themselves in danger, then most people are heroes. A world full of heroes is a greater world than one full of people looking up to a small group of heroes.

Kriyananda, Swami. “The Three Levels of Consciousness.” ananda 2011. Ananda Sanga. Web. 23 Oct. 2011

<http://www.ananda.org/meditation/support/articles/higher-guidance2.html>

Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Harriet Tubman Facts.” about.com 2011. About.com Women’s History. Web. 23 Oct. 2011

< http://womenshistory.about.com/od/harriettubman/p/harriet_tubman.htm >

O’Connor, Pat. “J.J. Maloney.” crime magazine 1998-2011. Crime Magazine. Web.

23 Oct. 2011