Heroes o
What does it take t SARAH WATERS AN “Once upon a time, there was a man walking over a beach, littered to the brim with starfish, all incapable of climbing back from the drying sand to the water. He wandered over it, thoughtful, until he came to a young boy sitting in the sand, throwing the starfish back into the water; one by one. The man looked at him incredulously, silent as the boy went on with his work- his impossible task of trying to save the millions of starfish.” Often, it seems like we are surrounded constantly by terrible events. The world seems to be full of trauma; of drought and floods, of death and famine, of mental health and trauma... The list never ceases- to the point where even if you turn off the news, we’re still l eft with a feeling of r e s p o n s i b i l i t y. H o w e v e r, t h a t responsibility can often be a weight, rather than enlightening. It feels like making a difference isn’t something that we’re all supposed to be crowned with, or even the skill to do. We’re not special enough, or famous enough, or a world-leader, or a powerful speaker, or rich enoughand what’s the point of making a change, of even trying, if it’s not going to reach anyone? This is a common error when it comes to the perception of what heroism is. Aided through the creation of Marvel, Disney and other film companies, we have come to view a hero as someone who has extreme physical strength to go along with their genius brain. And
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while this may be true for these movies, it does not reflect heroism in its raw form that we see everyday. Taking a modern perspective, we usually see heroes as the people who s u r v i ve g re a t t h i n g s , w h o p u t themselves on the line and show courage above all else. We compare ourselves through the Greats of History when it comes to fighting for the little guy. There’s people like Nelson Mandela, famous for standing for his cause of black lives matter even when thrown in jail. Malala, who pursued an education and spoke to the world after being shot. These peopl e h ave mana ged to spread their cause to millions of people and we look up to them because of that. We all seem to want to make as big a difference as these people. In a society where we are constantly comparing ourselves to others, It’s so common to think that it’s almost impossible to achieve what they did. And if I can’t make as big a change as them, what is the point? What does it take to be a hero? Do we need some kind of strength, some courage, some Big Event? If it’s not going to make a difference to everyone, what’s the point of even trying? How can a normal person ever become a hero?
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