What we need: Genuine Heroes

There is something written into the very sinew of man’s existence. It exists in every human society; regardless of race, culture or religion. This is the love for heroes. They could be mythical individuals such as Hercules, Theseus or Perseus. It could be comic book heroes such as Batman, Superman, Flash, Spiderman or hulk. Some adore real life military geniuses such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal of Carthage, Julius Caesar of Rome or Chaka of the Zulu nation. Not forgetting 20^th century icons such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr.

The subject matter for some of the greatest literary works has always been about mighty feats of valor, amazing tactical military victories, emancipation movements and other great passages in history. It is these works that have immortalized outstanding humans. Some notable examples include the Iliad and writings by historians such as Plutarch and Ptolemy.

The reason why we love these icons could be because they represent the pinnacle of human achievement. They also act as a reference point from which young people can measure their levels of success with.21^st century business executives, politicians and sports coaches always attempt to infuse military tactics and strategies into their plans, just to see if the success can be replicated.

Then comes the big question, do we have such larger than life figures in this day and age? What kind of people do children nowadays want to be when they grow up?

If one considers the last five or so years, films with the biggest box office successes have been those about epic tales, comic book superheroes and legends. Think “The avengers”,” The incredible Hulk” or even “The dark knight rises”. Therefore, you know what this means? Well, it means we still love to get a shot of inspiration in our lives.it is because we have a natural urge to scale to superhuman heights. However, what kind of individuals do people these days look up to? Could there be a deficiency in sources of genuine inspiration?

Taking a peek at the times prior to the new millennium, young boys and girls dreamt of being great military commanders in the mold of Joan of Arc and her ilk, great thinkers like Socrates or scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton or Marie Curie. But what has happened? Advancements in military technology mean that soldiers can now deal deliver death to the enemy from thousands of miles away. There’s no longer room for pitched hand to hand battles; the kind of stuff that makes legends. There are very few earth shattering scientific discoveries and innovations coming about and not much can be said about new sweeping schools of thought.as such we very few or no Huygens, Galens, Aristotles or Julius Caesars.

It is therefore obvious that young people have had to turn elsewhere for idols to admire. This is the gist of my argument. Heroes are now to be found in the tabloid press, sports magazines, theatre and film and in the music scene.do not get me wrong. I do not see anything absolutely wrong with idolizing your favorite actor or actress, singer, baseball player or soccer player; absolutely nothing at all. But one wonders; what happens to the need for new ways to achieve human advancement? Or when their heroes are more famous for their controversial personal lives than for outstanding feats of human achievement? Heroes who seek to entertain and entrance, rather than contribute to human prosperity?

If our “Facebook and Twitter Generation” is obsessed with urban pop culture, wanton promiscuity and materialism, what happens to the desire to find the cure for AIDS, Cancer or Ebola? What about the need for thinkers to advance human perspectives in the 21^st century? The need to find a silver bullet, if you like, to perennial global economic crises?

It is my contention that there is a need for a renaissance in popular culture. We need to have stories of human triumph in the face of adversity highlighted. Stories that touch the very core of human existence. It is from these that we can find genuine heroes that would inspire young people like me to greater heights of success.

Till then, we might have to make do with being “little monsters” or dreaming of the day we might get to star in a class A movie. Maybe, just maybe, a golden age for heroes might come round once again.