What It Means To Be A Hero

I have been reading the book, The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur. The book centers around one man’s efforts to make a difference in his own country, one which was being decimated by war and genocide.  The author, Daoud Hari, was not a great warrior or a great politician, he was simply a tribesman from Northern Darfur who knew how to speak English, and decided to use those skills in an attempt to save his people and their way of life.  While talking to a coworker about the book, he made a remark about genocide and “man’s inhumanity toward man”, and that set me to thinking about what it actually means to be "humane".

The dictionary defines “humane” as: “being characterized by sympathy with, or consideration, compassion and benevolence for others, especially for the suffering or distressed.” I would like to believe that such characteristics are what make us human, but sadly, history has proven that is not the case. The truth is that there is far more to being humane than simply being human. 

Being humane is an act of will; we must choose to be sympathetic, considerate, compassionate, and giving. I have never held to the idea that humans are innately good or innately evil. We ultimately become who we are by how we choose to respond the events in our lives; in that regard, we are all "self made men". While our culture, family and genetics play a role in how we interact with the world around us, at the end of the day, we still have the freedom to choose our behaviors. The choices we make are clear statements to the world about what we value. When we choose to do the right thing, rather than the easy thing, we are able to move from being human to being humane. 

Every day, each and every one of us is being challenged to live out our values in our personal and professional lives. We must decide what battles we will fight and which ones we will walk away from. Will we stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves? Will we devote our energies to making a positive difference in the areas in which we have the power to do so? Or, will we accept the status quo and walk away because the costs are high and the risk too great? What device will we use to measure the magnitude of our courage? More specifically, what are you using to measure yours? When was the last time you got involved in making a positive impact in an area in which you stood to gain nothing except the satisfaction derived from doing so?

This world needs heroes; but, I think we are confused about who they are. In the words of the late Arthur Ashe, “True heroism is remarkably sober; very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” We don’t need another Superman; we just need a lot of committed Clark Kents.

I am still holding onto the hope that there are heroes out there who will intervene on the behalf of those who need them; that our citizens and our legislators will be swayed by, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “the better angels of our nature”. I continue to hope that for every ten that applaud the efforts of others, there will be one who takes up the cause himself. Not because of what he stands to gain by standing up, but what he stands to lose by sitting down. 

French novelist Romain Rolland wrote, “A hero is a man who does what he can.”

So, what can you do to ease a burden, lift a worry, or change a life? Find that thing, then do it with all your heart. Ultimately, it may not change the world, but it will definitely change you.