But Gneech, not all heros are Conan sized and wield war axes.
They are like you and me, but do extraordinary things. In fact, at one time, I could've (may have been?) been called a hero by some.
How many ordinary people that you know, excepting me of course, will put thier life on the line to save others? I'm talking about firefighters, police officers, EMT's, etc. These are the true heros that people should look up to.
There is an editoral cartoon in the railroad's office that shows, Batman, Superman and Spiderman all standing in a line. They all have "Autograph Books" and pencils in thier hands, waiting as someone to walks by. I believe Spiderman asks the person walking by, "May we have your autograph?" You know who the "hero" was that they were seeking the autograph of? It was a NYC firefighter. That's right! Those three mythical superheros, whose towns are aliterations of, or, in the case of Spidey, is NYC, were in awe of the ordinary human that walks into Hell and returns and thinks nothing of it. I know what I'm talking about, for I was a volunteer firefighter for nine years. When you get to a fire, your thoughts are not, "Am I going to get out of here?", they are along the lines of "Is there anyone in there that needs my help?"
I'm not dissing your views, and I have to agree with Tygermoon Foxx, those that whine about every test that comes along the way are not heros. True heros do their job and think nothing of it. In fact, more often than not they will say they are not heros, for they were just doing their jobs.
One paragraph of yours stands out:
See, I think heroes should be larger than life, and should do great things, precisely because it is outside the realm of ordinary experience -- it gives us something noble and wonderful to aspire to, a higher calling that can enrich our lives and give us a purpose to work towards.
In my mind, those police officers, firefighters, et al. do give those of us "ordinary citizens" something to aspire to. It takes a certain mind set to do what they do. It is "outside the realm of ordinary experience".
What is really wierd, is that even today, many consider me a "hero" and all I do is drive a train. Why? Because I'm doing something they can only dream about. I think I've told you how almost every man I come across, from the skinniest 92 lb. weakling to the biggest brawniest cop you can find say to me, when they find out I'm a engineer/conductor, in a "little kid" voice, "Really! What's it like?" It's funny to see, and a bit embarassing, but I'm a hero to them. I'm doing something that they might have dreamed about and they never got the chance to do.
Heros on the screen should be big and brave, yes, but don't forget those everyday heros that you may see in everyday living. They are flesh and blood, those on the screen are nothing but flickering images of light.
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branchandroot
Heros and such
Date: 2002-01-24 04:52 pm (UTC)They are like you and me, but do extraordinary things. In fact, at one time, I could've (may have been?) been called a hero by some.
How many ordinary people that you know, excepting me of course, will put thier life on the line to save others? I'm talking about firefighters, police officers, EMT's, etc. These are the true heros that people should look up to.
There is an editoral cartoon in the railroad's office that shows, Batman, Superman and Spiderman all standing in a line. They all have "Autograph Books" and pencils in thier hands, waiting as someone to walks by. I believe Spiderman asks the person walking by, "May we have your autograph?" You know who the "hero" was that they were seeking the autograph of? It was a NYC firefighter. That's right! Those three mythical superheros, whose towns are aliterations of, or, in the case of Spidey, is NYC, were in awe of the ordinary human that walks into Hell and returns and thinks nothing of it. I know what I'm talking about, for I was a volunteer firefighter for nine years. When you get to a fire, your thoughts are not, "Am I going to get out of here?", they are along the lines of "Is there anyone in there that needs my help?"
I'm not dissing your views, and I have to agree with Tygermoon Foxx, those that whine about every test that comes along the way are not heros. True heros do their job and think nothing of it. In fact, more often than not they will say they are not heros, for they were just doing their jobs.
One paragraph of yours stands out:
In my mind, those police officers, firefighters, et al. do give those of us "ordinary citizens" something to aspire to. It takes a certain mind set to do what they do. It is "outside the realm of ordinary experience".
What is really wierd, is that even today, many consider me a "hero" and all I do is drive a train. Why? Because I'm doing something they can only dream about. I think I've told you how almost every man I come across, from the skinniest 92 lb. weakling to the biggest brawniest cop you can find say to me, when they find out I'm a engineer/conductor, in a "little kid" voice, "Really! What's it like?" It's funny to see, and a bit embarassing, but I'm a hero to them. I'm doing something that they might have dreamed about and they never got the chance to do.
Heros on the screen should be big and brave, yes, but don't forget those everyday heros that you may see in everyday living. They are flesh and blood, those on the screen are nothing but flickering images of light.