My Preoccupation with "Heroes"

So, I know I've already posted about a song called "Hero," but this seems to be one of my more insistent obsessions. It's only rather recently that I've noticed how much I love them. Superman and Peter Parker have always been my favorite comic book heroes. When it was still running, I was a loyal follower of the NBC drama "Heroes." Middle Earth and Narnia have always enchanted me. There is just something about superheroes and epic heroes that just appeals to me.

Of course, there is the whole "superpowers/shiny armor" thing that I enjoy. Who wouldn't want the ability to fly, or healing powers, or an awesome sword? But there's more than that. It's the story, the journey that these heroes take that really draws me in. It always starts the same. Ordinary boy/girl living in an unremarkable world makes a decision that changes his or her life, faces monsters/demons both inside them and in the real world and somehow defeats them, emerging victorious and wiser because of it. Every single hero goes through this process, in different ways and forms.

I think the reason that heroes appeal to me, and to other people as well, is that they represent the best parts of ourselves. We see ourselves in them when they fail and we hope to be like them when they succeed. I know how Peter feels when he is running around New York, trying to juggle his school, his friends, his family and his responsibilities to the people. I know how Clark Kent feels when he is thinking that he might not belong to this world. I understand Aragorn and the Pevensies' desire to protect their loved ones from harm. And I hope that when I'm faced with a tough decision that I'll be able to make the right choice. And yes, I'm aware that not all heroes make the right choice. But then again, neither do all humans. They're just like us.

I believe that there's a hero in all of us, waiting for us to realize he or she is there. Somewhere inside everyone there is a desire to slap on a pair of tights and a cape and rid the world of evil, it's just that we are afraid. If we declare ourselves heroes, then that makes us a target for the villains. It puts us at risk, marks us as different, and sometimes isolates us. But if we don't listen to our inner hero, if we squash our desire to help others, if we refuse to live out the story of our lives, then what are we doing?

Sure, I understand that being a hero is hard. I've read enough comics and seen enough movies to know that a hero's life is not picture perfect. And I know that I'm not going to be the one to come to the rescue all the time. But still. I like to think that sometimes the one who saves the day, the one who makes the right choice will be me. And it can be you too. :)