What does one picture when the word hero reaches one’s ear? Many picture a tall, muscular man in tights, others in vision a fire fighter or policeman, maybe even the president. But what does it mean to be a hero? The mythology a hero was typically sought to be one whom posses god like qualities or a warrior with amazing strength and courage. In comic books the hero always seems to be tall, muscular, handsome, and of course, dressed in a colorful outfit, draped with a cape. But a real hero is more than someone who is courageous and saves peoples lives. A hero can be someone who inspires people to be better, someone who stands up for what they believe in, a leader.
A hero may not even be a person; a hero could be anything really. For example a dog, a dog could be one’s hero. You are probably wondering how. There are many disabled people in this world who require dogs to help them with everyday activities. Many blind people have theses dogs, called seeing eye dogs, that help them do things as simple as crossing the street. These dogs are extremely smart and keep their owners safe. There are also dogs that work for the police department. These dogs are often referred to as K-9 dogs. They help the police department find drugs and solve crimes. Another heroic dog is a guard dog. Many people have dogs in their homes. Suppose a robber invades some one’s home, the guard dog could attack the criminal as well as bark, acting as an alarm and the home owners would wake up and be able to call the police. Dogs can be heroes, from something as simple as a guard dog to something as advanced as a police dog.
Many people look up to family members as heroes. A hero can be someone who one looks up to and aspires to be like. Many people look up to their brothers, their fathers, their aunts, etc. A hero possesses admirable qualities. Maybe one wants to be like their father. Perhaps one has a caring and successful father and one aspires to be just like him. This is yet another form of a hero.
A hero could even be a fictional character from a book or movie. Although it sounds silly its true. A character such as Forrest Gump could be one’s hero. Although the character is not real, they still can be a real hero. The character still is inspirational. One may be inspired by a character to always be one’s self or to fallow ones dreams. Many may gather false hopes from these characters, however the inspiration that these fictional characters display is real and still heroic in the eyes of many.
Others may look for a hero in celebrities; actors, musicians, sports stars, etc. For example, my hero is John Lennon, a musician and previous member of the rock group The Beatles. John Lennon was a hero because he was inspiring. He inspired many to participate in making music. But what really made John Lennon a hero was his leadership and the way he stood up for what he believed in. Lennon wanted nothing more than peace. He stood up against the Vietnam war and inspired many to strive for peace. In my eyes, this makes him a hero.
A hero does not have to be one who saves a life, although that is what the word hero is often associated with. A hero is someone inspirational. A leader. Of course a hero could be someone who saves one’s life, but I believe a hero is more than that. I believe a hero is someone who is looked up to. Anyone can be a hero. A hero could be as simple as someone who can make one smile everyday. It could be as simple as someone that not only allows love into their life, but gives love out.
So ask yourself; what is a hero to me? Maybe you will find an answer that you would not have said preciously. Maybe your hero is your husband or wife, your children, or your parents. Or maybe your hero is your guard dog, or maybe even a cancer survivor or a baseball player. Whoever your hero may be, your hero is the inspiration in your life.
Heroes are around every corner. A hero can be in any form. So what does it mean to be a hero? Well really a hero is someone looked up to by others, a hero means so many different things to many different people. So next time you hear the word hero, I hope you don’t think of a tall man in tights, like the guys right out of the comic books. I hope you think of the person in your life that inspires you to do the things you do. The person or thing you aspire to be like. The person you look up to. It is apparent that the people often considered to be heroes are adult males. This is not always the case. A hero can be anyone or anything. For example, a young girl surviving cancer. This young girl could inspire others dealing with cancer to push through. She could inspire many people to take part in helping people with cancer. This little girl is a hero. A real life hero.
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