Humans and Heroes

Humans are in an endless struggle to become stronger, or smarter, or better than others. They will go to extreme means to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming the best. Many humans believe the easiest way to become better is to take a person and copy them. They attempt to emulate this figure in actions and dress; to name just a few. Thus, it is very easy to tell much about a person once his or her hero is known. Different types of people will have different heroes, for they are attempting to present a different view of life to other people. With the continual battle to become the ultima, humans find a focal point in society, whether it be a single person or many, and replicate them; there is much to be found by viewing a person’s hero.

Humans are evil. In a solitary state humans do not care about others and will do anything if it feels good, but, this is only if the human is alone and has been alone for their entire life. Granted this is not a practical scenario; therefore, we must see how humans act in a group. Surprisingly, this is very similar to what was previously stated. Humans are still evil, just in a different way. In any group of humans there will be one in control; the dominant one. This dominant human will most likely be very kind or very harsh. Both ways they are simply attempting to get the most recognition possible, and become the most powerful they can. This is how heroes are formed. When the aforementioned groups are formed, others outside of those groups look upon them. They see how that one person has become wanted and popular; much unlike themselves. These ‘outcasts,’ so to speak, then attempt to emulate and copy the person in power. This figure in power then becomes their hero. In a large group, humans are machines of conformity. With every society in the world there is the natural view; what everyone should be like, how they should dress, what they should do. Many times, this natural view is formed by a man or woman in a position of power. Because this person has power, he or she is also a hero to many people. They see how that one person acts and attempts to conform to them, unintentionally copying everyone else, but, when a human sees that they fit in, they find themselves much more relaxed and at ease; they have been able to avoid that so called horrid outcast position. Knowing that a person will copy their hero, enables us to learn many things about a person; just by knowing their hero.

As humans observe their hero figure, they change themselves to become progressively more and more like them. At first it may be simple things; changing the way one dresses slightly, or adjusting their speech. Soon after this, though, these changes will become more pronounced and obvious. The person may also take up habits or activities that their hero does.

Jim Eager, a student at Cheshire High School, believes his hero to be Kurt Cobain. When Jim was younger, he heard Nirvana’s music and became a fan of Cobain. Since then, Jim has learned how to play the guitar and started his own band. Clearly, Eager found that many people were also fans of Cobain and believed that if he became part of a band he would also become more popular. In his interview Eager stated, “He’s his own guy, he doesn’t follow the norms, especially when he should.” Knowing this and also knowing that we can understand how a person acts through his hero, we can assume that Eager is very socially active and has many friends. I, knowing Eager personally, can confirm this as a fact. A few years ago, though, Eager was not as open to new people and ideas.

Another individual who has changed for the better because of their hero would be Stephanie Zucker. Zucker’s parents divorced when she was young. When Zucker heard a story about a surfer having her arm ripped off by a shark and having to swim back to the shore, it encouraged Zucker to keep a positive outlook on life, even through the bad times. “I think this story has made me a stronger person and allows me to see the good side to everything.” The key word in this statement is ‘stronger.’ Even though this helped her through a difficult time in her life, Zucker was still attempting to become a stronger person.

Zucker and Eager show the two different ways a hero may affect a person. In Eager’s story he was changed in a more materialistic way, while Zucker was changed on a deeper level to get through her family troubles. In each story the way the hero affected the person was obvious before it even came. In this way humans are predictable and, to an extent, shallow.

Humans are animals of habit. We like the same thing day in and day out, with little variation and few surprises. Contrary to this, we believe that if we were to have different things happen every day, we would be happier people, but, when the opportunity arises for us to break from our normal schedule, we often skip it without a second thought. It is in this way of life that we will never be able to achieve what our heroes before us have. If we can’t shake free from our natural chains, and become something better, something stronger, then our world is destined to stay as it is now. This is an extremely challenging thing to do, and most people will not; they fear they will fall short of what they are attempting to do. In this way, heroes are necessary. Heroes are what push the rest of society to do what they would have otherwise thought impossible; to break the norms, and to make the world a better place. Without heroes, humans would believe it impossible to shatter the dull atmosphere that we surround ourselves with, but, because each person has a hero they are attempting to emulate, we may just be able to tear apart all the norms of the modern world, and create a much more open and powerful place to live.

Heroes are what keep this world alive. If humans had no heroes, no role models, no anyone, then we would simply revert to a primeval state of ignorance and arrogance. From our heroes we are able to learn more about ourselves and others, to make our beings stronger and more full, and we are able to keep this world from falling apart. Heroes are a necessary aspect of life, and it is important that we all have some form of a hero, to look up to and, furthermore, to become the best person we are able.

~Tyler