A hero in all of us

So I’ve been studying all day for my Lit and Psych exam that will be tomorrow.

The majority of the exam will be based on Joseph Campbell’s A Hero With a Thousand Faces. It’s an interesting read, but Campbell tends to veer off subject or repeat himself half the time so yeah, it’s kinda hard.

Anyway, it got me thinking: What does it take to be a hero?

Courage. Bravery. Passion. Grace. Love. All the good things that make up a good person. See, I don’t really think a hero can be defined by any one person. A hero is only definable by our own lives. In each of us, there is a hero. That sounds cliche, but yeah… I believe that. We all have the potential to be a hero. For some people, it takes courage to reach a level of heroism. For others, love, and so on. What you might have to go through to be a hero will be very different than my journey. My trials may seem easy to you, but for me, they are practically impossible feats.

A woman who has to provide for her children without a husband. She is a hero. But she has to accept that call to adventure, and stand the tests of time.

An anxious individual who boards a plane after years of fearing them. That person is on the right track to heroism.

Google defines it thus: A person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualities. (First off, ew. Man, OR woman)

Admired. What an interesting word, but here’s what doesn’t make sense. In order for your accomplishment to be admired, it has to be deemed so by other individuals. What if those other individuals see getting on a plane to be a simple feat? Then what you just accomplished would not be admired. That’s not fair, is it?

Why are we based on how others see us? Sorry, but that’s bullshit. Why, in order for my life to be the life of a heroine, does it have to be deemed so by others? Is there a council that awards people the title of hero when proven to be so? No! Well… according to the Google definition, yes. And that council is society.

Society knows nothing about me. How can it judge whether or not my actions are honorable?

I feel like I veered off track. I sound like a rebel. I’m starting a revolution. You can call me Katniss Everdeen from now on, my loyal followers. As my first act of… rebellion, I deem all of my blog followers to be actual followers of my revolution against society. Now, I need to acquire myself a Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark to fight over me. Anyone? Anyone?

I’m kidding. Don’t freak out, Feds. I have no intention of starting a rebellion. I’m too content in my laziness. I guess I need to break free of that, huh? If I do, will I be labeled a hero?