Heroes

Most of us who have been blessed with a good childhood - nourishing, playful, innocent - have grown up with dozens of favourite stories/ legends/ myths, narrated to us by loving caregivers...shaped by our imaginations and fantasies. Many of these stories will have had a "hero". The hero has many forms, ranging from the invulnerable deity or demigod who conquers all foes, to the tragic protagonist who faces severe adversities before reaching a happy ending...and sometimes not even that.

We all grow up with our heroes. In the recesses of our mind we cling to their images and draw on them whenever we can to make comparisons between their tales and the circumstances of our own lives. Often, we try their approaches to solving problems in our lives. It's almost like we ask ourselves, "What would Superman have done?" and try to follow suit. I'm sure there are people for whom this works well and others who have yet to find the balance between myth and 'reality'.

The heroes of legend, exist largely in works of literature or in hand-me-down stories, passed along the generations by word of mouth. They exist in paintings, carvings, tapestries, sculptures etc. that people look upon with awe, as representations of the stories they play and replay in their minds. They become symbols of power, effort, and hope that people look up to, scarcely realising where the real power comes from...their own minds!

Regardless of whether or not these heroes ever walked the earth, they exist because human minds wills them into existence. Their lives persist because the human race honours them with its memory of their efforts and exploits. The human imagination gives them colour, detail, sound, meaning and much more...it is where the true power of the hero lies. Giving birth to both the demon that was slain and to the hero that destroyed it, the mind is by far more powerful that the hero it shapes. People look up to the hero and pour their faith into its symbolism. They have only to realise that they don't really depend on heroes...heroes depend on them. From Hercules to Superman, every hero that exists, exists only because there are people to validate his heroism.

There is no quality in heroes that cannot be manifested in ourselves. Heroes are but waves on the limitless ocean of human potential. Think about it...