The word Hero is thrown around a lot nowadays and I think that is not good. When a word like hero is overused or used too easily, it cheapens it for those who truly deserve it. Dictionary.com defines hero as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character:He became a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
I agree with that but I think it needs more clarity. My definition is a person who acts in a way above and beyond how you expect a reasonable person to act in that situation. So if a man rescues his own wife or children from a flood, he is not a hero. If he jumps into the water to rescue someone he doesn't know he is a hero.
That really clarifies it to me, there are certain expectations we all have of a man, a woman, a parent, a soldier, a policeman, a fireman. You aren't a hero if you do what is expected of you. You aren't a hero because you do your job, even if you do it real well. You aren't a hero because you put on a uniform. You aren't a hero because you are injured or even die while wearing a uniform. Those are the reasonable expectations when you took the job that required the uniform. You can be an honorable: man, woman, parent, soldier, policeman, fireman and not be a hero. That is OK, most people are not heroes. Let's reserve the term for those that really deserve it.
Does that mean that a soldier, policeman, or fireman can't be a legitimate hero? No. It means that to be a hero they have to go above and beyond what is expected. A policeman is expected to help defend innocents from bad guys, he may do that in a normal way or he may do it in a heroic way. A soldier is expected to help protect his unit from the enemy, he may do that in a normal way or a heroic way. A fireman is expected to move toward the fire and help save people and put the fire out, he may do that in a normal way or a heroic way. Because the expectation is higher, that standard for heroism is higher.
I think at times our elected officials have encouraged us to call people heroes when they are just doing their job. Men(and to some extent women) have a natural desire to be heroic. If the public treats all soldiers, policemen, and firemen as heroes then it becomes easier to recruit them and you can pay them less. Young men will gladly sign up for a chance to be seen as a hero and will suffer through low pay, lousy schedules, and poor treatment if they think they will be seen as a hero.
Heroes are very important, what you call heroic is a big part of defining the culture. Let's use the term properly and rarely to define people that are truly heroic. If we use the term loosely we have diminished its value for the ones who truly deserve it.
