A Steel-cage Match between Superman and Buddha?

As a child and even up to now, I have always only known one type of hero. Instead of everyday heroes like firemen and policemen, I always associated the concept of being a hero with one of a superhero's. People such as Superman, Spider-man, and Wonderwoman always came to my mind when the word hero (or heroine) was mentioned. The relationship between that of a human and a hero was a mutually exclusive one in my mind. One could only pretend to be like the other and can never be both.

Campbell's characteristics of a hero, however, gave new light to the relationship between a human and hero. Rather than being two entirely separate forces, Campbell suggests that a hero is the closest that one can get to being “human.” Instead of following the zeitgeist of one's period, a hero is considered to be one who has been able to battle past his or her personal and local historical limitations to the generally valid, normally human forms.” (Campbell, 6-7) They are the ones who defy the current biases and perceptions of our society and in return teach us a certain “life lesson”

Heroes are considered the models or agents of which society should be “reborn,” leading it closer to humanity. A hero dies as a “modern man” and returns as an “eternal man- perfected, unspecific, and universal.” (Campbell, 7)

Examples of this heroism are both seen in Daedalus and Buddha, who are both dutiful to their crafts and beliefs. Daedalus, who is normally thought of as “evil” because of his design of the labyrinth, is surprisingly a hero. Not because he possesses some kind of special power like spider-man or the incredible hulk, but because he is loyal to his duty, “dedicated to the morals not of his time but of his art. He is the hero of the way of thought...” Campbell points out that the life lesson he teaches is one that we've heard a lot recently: “the truth, as he finds it, shall make us free.” (Campbell, 9)

The example of Prince Gautama Sakyamuni does not stray far from Daedalus in terms of heroism. Because of his commitment to a belief and resolve, he rid himself of the biases that existed during his time and defied even the gods, achieving enlightenment and becoming a “teacher of gods and men.”

Like Prianka, I have come to realize that not all heroes have to fly, shoot webbing, or possess a spandex wardrobe. The duty that Campbell describes is seen in everyday people who just simply do their jobs. Though they are exactly the same caliber as that of Buddha, they are nevertheless true heroes.