Essay:Why do we want to be heroes?
We all know them and a lot of us want to be like them. And I’m not an exemption, I want to be a superhero.
It doesn’t matter if it is a guy with a cape, someone with a wand or a knight with a sword - their stories are fascinating and inspiring. I mean, it is clear that the life of an Iron-Man, Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker is incredible and exciting. Who doesn’t want to be like them?
To be honest, if you really think about it, nobody really wants to be a superhero, at least not like any kind of hero, we always see in all these movies and books. And the reasons are very simple.
Of course, you may think: „What do you mean?“, but first, let me explain the classic image of a much-loved superhero.
The backstory of a hero character mostly begins very dramatic and with a sad event, which changes their lives forever. Our character commits to the good side, fights for justice and in the end, everybody loves him/her. During his /her life journey, he/she has to prove himself/herself while he/she strikes their archenemy down.
That’s the classic golden thread for a hero story, which easily thrills a mass of people. Sometimes the main characters don’t need a deep personality, because their past story, muscles, and powers are enough. And in the end, that’s it.
Nevertheless, from time to time a hero becomes a superhero when the story gets a sequel. Comic heroes, like Spider-Man, Batman or Alita Battle-Angel may be the best example to show, how a cliché could be so much more.
But thank God, there is an exception to every rule.
The phenomenon of a hero was considerably developed, starting at second one and so there are always new kinds of heroes, who don’t fit into this completely milked type of a classic super guy. A hero doesn’t need special powers, a lot of money or a special item.
The “new” rule is: “Everybody is able to do great things.” So normal persons like you and me could be heroes. A good example of a hero without any special powers is in the movie Alien by James Cameron, who created with the character Ellen Ripley an absolute fantastic hero, who shows that you also need mental strength to be brave. Also, antiheroes getting more famous and here I mean guys like Clint Eastwood played them in his movies.
However, in the end, a superhero isn’t to envy.
Maybe as a hero, you have a wild and exciting life, you could do incredible things like flying through the air, but besides that, you shouldn’t forget that you are a hero and as that, you have to fight against people who want to hurt or even kill you. That’s not all, with your name as a hero who helps everyone you also have a great responsibility. I mean you are responsible for human life. That´s not like driving in your car and taking care of the other road users. Bad people want to take you down and you have to fight every single time. You can’t take a break and you are not allowed to lose, because if this happens, you literally die. No joke, that’s the reality.
So why do people want to be heroes?
Is it worth it to be afraid all the time, because somebody is against you, just for fame and maybe a superpower? Do you really want to fight against villains? Moreover, what do you want to fight for?
I guess, we want to be heroic because the society let us think it is necessary to be strong, brave and invincible. But that is not the case. Humans could be heroes every day. And there are heroes everywhere and every time. Or don´t your parents do unbelievable things for you and other people every day? Also the postman, your teacher or whoever, there are all unique and in the end heroes and that without a cape.
It is great, when the spirit to bring justice into this world is that strong in yourself. But don’t think that you have to be like someone who is in an action movie. Because you already have everything to be unforgettable heroic. You are you and that’s the best version of a hero. We need people who want to help this planet and if your valor is that strong, all you have to do is to start your own superhero story and this without a bite of a spider, an alien invasion or a powerful super suit.
