A Hero Will Save Us, I'm not Gonna Stand Here and Wait

My definition of a hero has changed over the course of my life. When I was little, my heroes were my parents. They gave me awesome toys to play with, they took me to movies and to the pool during the summer, and I was their center of attention at all times. When I got a little older, however, I went through that phase where one’s parents are no longer appropriate heroes for the social norm. It was more acceptable to have a sports figure or movie character as one’s hero than someone regular like Robert Taylor. As I got older, however, my definition for hero has transformed back into that “someone regular.” Now my parents are back to being my heroes and the source of my inspiration. My parents represent all the hard-fought real life battles everyday people turn into victories. A hero does not necessarily need to slay a dragon to have others respect and yearn to emulate them; for me that hero must only show self-sacrifice in an effort to help someone else. That is why my parents are my heroes. Like Mauro mentioned, I understand how even working at a pathetic job can be heroic. My mom went back to American Airlines when I was in the 6th grade to give me an opportunity to see the world, go on college visits, etc. Even though she makes very little and puts up with a lot, she wants me to have opportunities as I grow up that she did not.

Campbell defines a hero not very different from the ones I envision. My parents always used to talk about the sacrifices they made so that I could attend private school. More recently, however, they talk about how worthwhile those sacrifices were. The accomplishments I have made because of Fort Worth Country Day School and the education I received there have made them the proudest parents in the world. Though there were dark times, the end result was well worth walking the “muddy streets” Campbell’s modern woman describes. The hero in both Campbell’s and my own vision possesses the ability to see and the inclination to teach. My parents have done both of these, allowing me to learn from all of the experiences they have gone through.

At the conclusion of his chapter “The Hero Today,” Campbell writes that “a transmutation of the whole social order is necessary, so that through every detail and act of secular life the vitalizing image of the universal god-man who is actually immanent and effective in all of us may be somehow made known to consciousness” (389). The mysteries of life have moved from the cosmos and the Heavens into man himself. Campbell suggests that “man is that alien presence with whom the forces of egoism must come to terms, through whom the ego is to be crucified and resurrected, and in whose image society is to be reformed” (391). I have often thought that society needs reforming, and while my parents certainly have their flaws, they seem good enough examples to base Campbell’s new standards for social behavior. Society is to be recast in the image of everyday men and women, who are each heroes in their own right. This is not to say that everyone in the world will walk around with rings of power or capes enabling them to fly; but moreover the hero image in our society shall become the man or woman giving themselves for others. A literal approach to this would be Mauro’s mention of the fallen American soldier. A loose interpretation might be Debbie Taylor busting her ass at the airport from 5:15 to 11:15 every night so that I may receive a first-rate education to better myself. But at the end of the day, all of these regular people are heroes.