Hero Essay Everyone needs a hero. Nowadays there are songs which lyrics rhyme about heroes. Enrique Iglesias’s song “Hero” is about the love he can show for his female companion. Along the same line Mariah Carey song “Hero” will go down as one of her all time greats. No matter the substance, the bottom line is that people look up to their heroes and are influenced by them, especially kids. Kids, however, have a different way of choosing their heroes. “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” We can thank the creator of Superman, Jerry Siegel, for his character has inspired many youngsters, including myself, to be that hero we admire. Many kids look up to fictional characters and sports figures as heroes, but it’s the everyday run of the mill people we see all the time who possess the real qualities of a hero. Repeated times in my childhood I would recall tying a towel on my back and running around pretending I was Superman. I would “fly” over cars and obstacles, stop invisible bullets with my hands and rescue the beautiful damsel in distress. Whatever the scenario would, I knew I was unstoppable. I would pretend to be fast, strong, intelligent, and loyal, all the qualities I believed a good superhero should exhibit. Little did my young mind realize, I would also inherit these qualities as I got older.
Taking a hundred eighty degree turn away from fictional characters, there are real life heroes among us in our lives daily. They may not be as glamorized as the million dollar star athlete, but they take their pride to work with them day after day to keep us safe. Of course, I speak of policemen and firemen. Policemen show self-sacrifice as they risk their lives to protect us. They have a sense of honor, representing the shield and all that it stands for. The oath that policemen take to uphold the law demonstrates the responsibility they have to sustain to us and to themselves. Firemen are also heroes who serve and protect. Running full speed into a burning building requires an immense amount of courage. The ability to put yourself in harms way shows confidence that they can get the job done with the skills bestowed upon them.
In conclusion, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as real as you and me or as make believe as our mind can wander. Anyone you can look up to and strive to be can be considered your hero. The first place I look is in the mirror. If I can’t hold myself to the qualities of a hero, how do I expect my own personal heroes to value themselves.