The Biggest Heroes are the People We See Every Day
Cultivate goodness in your corner of the world
Superheroes have superpowers, and we love them for the way they use their powers for good. A superhero doesn’t have to be called because he innately knows to show up in times of need. His job is to save people who are in danger. Are your Spidey senses tingling? Superheroes sense danger and rescue people from villains and leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are some of the earliest superheroes I remember from my brother’s comic books. You may be thinking about Dr. Strange, Flash Gordon, Aquaman, or the Toxic Avenger. Their superpowers are part of the magic of who they are.
“We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.” — Grant Morrison
Superheroes are people with special powers who rarely need rescuing themselves. It’s their superhuman powers that allow them to take anything life brings their way. Nothing can stop a superhero, and superheroes can never die. At least that seems to be the hope we have for them. Heroes live in the possibility of faith and good deeds.
Who are your superheroes? The animated ones and the real-life ones?
Because they exist, and they do exist, we should be able to breakdown their attributes in the hope of finding more heroes to do good work.
Manifest Your Superhero
What does your superhero look like?
Is he a lean, mean muscular machine, like Incredible Hulk or Hulk Hogan? If so, he can probably lift cars and toss them easily to one side.
Does he dress well, like the X-Men, who put on a suit to do superhero work? Does he wear activewear like Captain America so he can right injustices in the world? Maybe he’s multifaceted, like Superman, who puts on office wear for his daily life while always having his activewear on underneath.
Being a superhero is not only a job for men. Don’t discount magical women who do good works like Wonder Woman, who has bracelets and a lasso to help her get the bad guys.
There’s Batgirl, who’s sassy and spunky while detecting crime and her modern counterpart, Supergirl, who rounds up criminals.
Wasp is out to avenge wrongful death, specifically the death of her father, in the Marvel comic series. Or, Captain Marvel herself, who defies age, by continuing to improve lives while suffering from amnesia.
Superheroes are a wonder of life, but the superhero I’m thinking of doesn’t wear a cape because he doesn’t need one, but he flies because the qualities in his character set him apart as something special, even magical. They are people you see reaching out to make an impact for good in the lives of others. Heroes demand more of themselves. They inspire everyone around them to be better people.
A hero is a magical being who embodies all the good we hope to do.
What Characterizes a Hero?
Consider your heroes. What do you like about them? My heroes change, based on their qualities of character. My heroes don’t wear special clothes and don’t have magical powers, but they have a magical presence.
When I was little, my mom was my hero. Later, Dad was my hero. Today I look to people who embody good things and promote goodness and hope in others. Your heroes can change based on what you need and what stage of life you are in. Heroes themselves may vary, but their character traits don’t.
Heroes are honest, relatable, trustworthy people who we look up to because they put others first.
Heroes are people who have qualities that are bigger than him or her “self,” like empathy and compassion. A hero finds the good in a person, brings it out, and manifests those qualities into something that can help others. Heroes are people who care and make an extra effort to do good in the world without expecting something in return.
Two essential characteristics come to mind when I think about my heroes:
- They have a moral compass because they innately know good from evil and act with those ideals in mind every day.
- They live by values worth fighting for and are prepared to defend them to the death if necessary.
And, they inspire those around them.
Who Is a Hero?
Heroes help us realize life’s higher purpose and meaning. They are not celebrities, but ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. We can admire people who are not heroes. There’s a difference between inspiration and blind admiration:
“The elevation we feel upon witnessing a heroic act transforms us into believing we are capable of heroic acts ourselves.” — Scott T. Allison, Dr. of Psychology
If heroism is a quality we can cultivate, then our comic book likenesses get to stay in stories and movies because there’s a hero in all of us. Every day people become equipped to be heroes in their corners of the world. We may not see heroes every day, but we know they are out in the world, doing good work. The thought of people all across the world, doing good in their own unique and gifted way makes the world a better place where superheroes do the magical work they are meant to do.
Don’t underestimate the power of a hero. Not the ones who have special shoes, wear capes, and have magical tools, but the ones who grow by doing good without fanfare.
Who is your hero? Is there one growing inside of you?
Cultivate goodness today.
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