Superheroes.

Somehow, the topic of heroes within society always seems to return to my mind despite long vacations. That shouldn't be much of a surprise I suppose, since virtue ethics is a pet topic of mine. That, and I will give you a earful about why society needs heroes and not role models.

This isn't going to be a long post, just some food for thought really. Heroic virtue is necessary for sanctity, in fact it is something that sanctity exudes, the necessity to go beyond the call of duty, to go beyond what one is capable, constantly pushing oneself in a sacrifice for someone else. I cannot think of a saint who is not a hero in some way or another. In fact, for quite a few of them, their entire lives could very well form the plot of a great comic book. Incidentally, we are all called to be saints. Oh yes, you too. You are meant to be a saint, to be holy. That is, you must become a hero.

So what makes a hero? It's not merely the external acts of valour, bravery and courage that make a hero. It begins from within. It is an interior transformation that must occur, the changing of cowardice to courage, of weakness to tenacity, of tepidity to passion, selfishness to generosity and so on. This takes time and the slow purification and distillation of the virtues within the soul become manifest in the outward actions that we see in real life.

Just think about it. Peter Parker didn't just become Spider-man over night. No, his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, from young, had been teaching him the very necessary virtues to become heroic. It was only the untimely stabbing of his uncle that led sealed in those lessons. Superman was made a hero by his foster parents, likewise Bruce Wayne became Batman because his parents, and later alfred, taught him justice and truth. Likewise, firemen don't dash into blazing buildings without first undergoing months of training; training which is more than just physical and technical but also internal. So to is the saint in the making. His internal change comes from similar means his prayer, penance, fasting and mortification, all which stem from and add fuel to that all consuming fire which is the love he has for God.

The success in virtue is not the only thing which defines a hero, there are also his failures. By now, one must realise that it is impossible to live in the world without falling and failing. This is what happens because of the very simple fact that we are all fallen creatures. That is, no one on this planet is sinless, save two individuals in the past. We live in a world where it is not alright to fail, yet failure is absolutely necessary to growth. We learn best from our mistakes, because successes do not tell us where we can wrong. Morally, of course this mistakes mean the committing of evil actions, however we need them from time to time to learn as well. It is, of course, necessary not to let the mistake define us, but the lesson behind the mistake. Hercules would not be Hercules if he hadn't done the reparation for accidentally slaying his children. Peter Parker wouldn't be Spider-man if he had stopped the thief from getting away. St Augustine wouldn't have become St Augustine if he hadn't fought his lust and won.

That's the lovely thing about being a hero is that heroes are allowed to make mistakes, whereas role models aren't. A role model that doesn't live up to his expectations, fails to fulfill the criteria of the role that he is supposed to be a the model for, thus losing the status. On the other hand, we expect the hero to fall out of his horse from time to time, and then get up and climb back on, this time with renewed resolve to charge at the dragon. Sometimes, he falls, and has to chase his horse, but he eventually gets there and wins, though he never knows if he will.

This actually applies to all aspects of our lives as St Thérèse de Liseux so wisely taught in her little way: to do all the ordinary things extraordinarily. In fact, that is where heroism first manifests itself, in the unseen things, in the things no one notices. When we listen to each patient as if they were the only patient in the world, or just always being on time, or doing each drill as it if it were the exam or game. See, it's never about the quantity of what one does, but the quality one inject into each action. Spider-man would be a hero even if he only saved one person, and only because he put all of himself into saving that one person.

Likewise, this is often where we fail, when we make mistakes. In the little things, and then the little things pile up and drown us. It is a common motif in comic books, where the superhero must juggle his heroism with his personal life. How many times has Spidey missed an important event because he was out saving some part of New York City from destruction courtesy of the Green Goblin? Bruce Wayne is always shown being asleep or uncaring during his business meetings. One of the reasons why Wayne Enterprises collapsed in the movies. Yet, even here, the superheroes apply their heroic skill and courage in starting afresh and reparating for all the hurt they caused. Likewise, when we fall, we have confession, and then once again bathed in the blood of Christ, we come out white as snow, and refreshed and ready to fix whatever harm we've caused.

So, it's actually rather simple to be a hero. We should be heroes, beacons of hope for our children especially, and our family and friends. Start today. It merely begins by loving God with all your heart, and mind and soul, and then to living out his commandments.

PS: Yes, I did promise a short post, but unfortunately brevity is not one of my heroic fortes.
PPS: I wrote this for you, and yes, I think you're a hero already.

EDIT: Thanks to the Anti-Modernist. I left out one very important point. Heroes always strive to do the right thing. They may make mistakes here and there, but they always come through in the end, even making reparation for their mistakes. Think of Boromir in Tolkien's famous epic, the Lord of the Rings. He attempts initially to steal the ring from Frodo, only to end up in sorrow realising his great sin. Well, Boromir doesn't remain there in sorrow, he gets up kicks orc butt saving Merry and Pippin...well until he dies at the hands of the archers. Nevertheless, a hero redeemed.