In the book when you turn to chapter 10, there is a firefighter giving a dog some water. One can only assume that he had just rescued this dog and to someone this firefighter became a hero that day. This got me thinking about what actually defines a hero. Does heroism only occur during extraordinary circumstances like war or dangerous situations or can heroism take place in everyday lives?
When I ask myself what defines a hero, I said it was someone who puts the good & well being of others ahead of their own without even thinking about asking for anything in return. A hero does not just have to be in dangerous situations, but there are heroes in everyday life. A hero runs towards danger, and they always put someone else first.
We can pretty much agree on that a firefighter is a hero or soldiers are heroes. Would you say that a relative is your hero or someone else is your hero because they went above and beyond for you when they were taking a risk of their own by helping you. My hero happens to be my grandma not just because she impacted my life in a huge way, but because no matter who needs help or the burden she knows helping someone could cause her , financially or emotionally/physically, she does it.
When reading there were some heroes that stood out to me, the six firefighters from NYC's Ladder Company 6 and Ismael Jimenez. The six firefighters from New York City's Ladder Company 6 helped a woman who was exhausted from climbing down 60 flights of stairs during the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers. These six firefighters were the only ones that stayed and helped this woman because she was exhausted and slow, everyone else had just went on by. In the end because these men stopped to help her, despite the fact that there was a huge possibility they would lose their lives, they were some of the very few that survived. Then there is Ismael Jimenez, who was on a school trip when the bus they were in was hit by a truck and burst into flames. He broke a window at the front of the bus and lifted other students out of the burning bus instead of saving himself (Serna & Megerian, 2014). Whether you are a firefighter or someone like Ismael you are a hero.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nyc+ladder+company+6
When thinking about what hero is you could ask if a hero is egoistic or altruistic? Egoistic is someone who is motivated by the desire to improve one's own welfare and altruistic is someone who is motivated by the desire to improve another's welfare. To me altruism is one of the many definitions of a hero.The Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis explains pretty well why a hero is altruistic:
In conclusion, despite all the definitions of a hero, it comes down to that person that is there for you in your time of need whether it is a firefighter, soldier or an ordinary person. Heroes are everywhere and lately with all the negativity in the news, we all could use a few more heroes in the world.
So what do you guys think:
- What do you think a hero is?
- Do you have a hero in your life ( only if you want to share)? What makes them a hero?
References:
Kassin, S. M., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social psychology. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Serna, J. & Megerian, C. (2014, April 14). Bus crash victim spent last moments helping others escape. Los Angeles Times, latimes.com /local/la-me-0415-bus-crash-20140415story.html
Picture Credit:
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/firefighter?excludenudity=true&sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=firefighter
http://slideplayer.com/10420531/35/images/28/The+Empathy-Altruism+Hypothesis.jpg
Nice post! I agree with you that a hero is someone who puts others before themselves; however, I don't think a hero always does that for a good reason. I'd like to think that everyone is inherently good, but I'm sure some people do good for their own benefit. After a firefighter saves someone from a fire, they get praised and called a hero and are looked up to by many for a period of time. Some might enjoy that so much that they only go into the fire to get that praise. Either way, they're saving someone and that's the most important part. But a true hero would go into the fire because they care for others and would go in regardless of whether they get the praise. My hero would have to be my dad. He was severely injured while in the army and is now in a nursing home. Not only is he a hero for being in the military, but he has dealt so well with his diagnosis and always remains positive through tough times.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about your dad being injured. I am glad to hear he is doing well and remaining positive. I would hope a firefighter chose to be a firefighter to help others and not just because they wanted to be a hero. I always look for the good in everyone. Someone is a hero to someone and they just don't know they are.
DeleteI agree, a hero to me is someone who puts others first despite any personal harm or inconvenience. I would consider my (non-biological) grandfather to be my hero. He is someone who has always supported me emotionally and at times financially, even when it was most inconvenient for him. Whether he was there for me out of family obligation or love, it wouldn't matter to me because he is someone that has always been there and will continue to be regardless of the situation. Everyone deserves someone like that in their life. Whether you define a hero as someone who saves lives or not, there are people who can leave a positive impact and influence on our lives and I would consider those people as heroes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that everyone needs someone who will be there no matter what. A hero doesn't have to just save lives, those who make a positive impact on your life are the true everyday heroes.
DeleteGood blog post! I agree with much of what you stated. I believe A hero is someone who acts to help others regardless of the outcome like you said. However, I would say all heroes are selfish because to some extent they are receiving a benefit from their action. It could be a warm feeling or hand shake or the key to the city. Happily, I do have multiple heroes in my life, my father is one who always puts the family in front of his personal wants, especially growing up, and I would like to say I am a hero for some by example.
ReplyDeleteI would say that heroes are selfishly selfless. If that makes sense. Nice to hear that your dad is your hero. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteThis post had some great examples of people doing heroic deeds. It makes me wonder though, if anyone can truly be a hero in general, or if they are simply a hero that day. There are plenty of examples of this in pop-culture and in real life. In the movie Hancock, Will Smith plays a super hero who at one time was what everyone would consider a hero. After many years though, he stopped helping people and became a menace to society. Was he still a hero? Had he just been a hero when he was younger? Does the good outweigh the bad?
ReplyDeleteIn real life, many people are exemplified as heroes. Not to cast a negative light on anyone who has done something to deserve praise, but take for instance a hypothetical situation. If one of the soldiers with a medal or honor, or a firefighter who risked everything to save strangers during 9/11, was also an abusive alcoholic at home, would they still be a hero?
Finally, do intentions matter? Crash Course asked this question about how intentions effect actions:
Suppose a man breaks into a woman's house when be believes she is away at church. He breaks the window to go inside, only to find her lying on the floor unconscious. This frightens him, and he leaves. However, the woman was unconscious due to a gas leak in her house that dissipated when he broke the window, saving her life. If he had not attempted to break in, the woman would have died. Was this man a hero?
Questions like this are always worth examining when we label people as heroes or villains. I have no doubt that there are moments in this world in which heroes exist. Those firefighters were heroes when they saved the woman on the stairs. I don't know if that label sticks for life, or if it is only a temporary award that can be undone by bad actions though.
You brought up some great questions that never crossed my mind. I never thought about what these individuals were like when they switched hats and went home. Thanks for mentioning that.
DeleteTo me hero's have always been the ones who never see themselves as hero's. When I was a kid a gas line exploded in a house just down from me. The fire department was nextdoor but still took them over an hour to respond. Two men went into the burning house and brought the people out. Unfortunately the two living in the house still passed away and with taking so long the house was gone by the time the fire department arrived. To those two men the fire department were still the hero's because they saved people everyday. The men looked at is as just doing the right thing. But even the person who doesn't give up on an addict and eventually helps then turn their life around is a hero in many ways. So whether they do it to feel good about themselves or just because it's the right thing or it's their job I agree that hero's are all around us and take many forms.
ReplyDeleteEddie, I agree. A hero can be just someone who is at the right place at the right time and doesn't hesitate to help. A hero to me never gives up on someone even when the other person quits trying. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI agree with some of the comments here, that someone can still be hero even though they may have motivations that aren't necessarily altruistic. The heroic act is the most important part, not necessarily the motivation. However, Emmitt poses an interesting thought experiment in his comment, where a man unintentionally saves a women by breaking into her home. In this case, I think the act would not be heroic, because the act was not intentional. Yes, he saved the women, but he never intended to save her, so the act was not heroic. However, someone who helps in a fire and then spends the evening doing interviews with the press would still be a hero for that act, because although his motivation may be egotistic, the heroic act was still intentional.
ReplyDeleteYes, Emmitt mentioned some great points, as did you. In every situation, we need to evaluate exactly what was heroic about it and whether or not it was intentional. Thanks for sharing.!
DeleteYou said a hero is someone that puts others well beings before their own without asking for anything in return and I completely agree with you. In my opinion, small acts of kindness can make someone a hero. You never know what other people are going through and if you just take a little time out of your day to help someone out, you may be seen as a hero in their eyes.
ReplyDeleteI have many heroes in my life, but my #1 hero is my mom. Even though she had a rough upbringing, she persevered through it. She's constantly working to make sure my siblings and I have the best lives we can possibly have and I don't know where I'd be without her. Everyone has a hero they look up to and everyone is a hero in someone else's eyes. Great post!
Doing something nice for someone can make a big difference. No matter how small it might be. I enjoyed hearing about your mom being hero. I have a similar situation where my grandma has become my hero.
DeleteThis is a very emotionally provoking post for sure! Especially with the included video! I would definitely agree that a hero is an individual who puts their own needs/desires above that of others in their time of need, however, there always seems to be this fuzzy line between altruistic and egoistic behavior. That being said, I do believe that there are individuals, such as firefighters and soldiers like you stated, that truly are altruistically motivated, and really do not care about themselves, or have an interest in helping others to benefit themselves. I like to think that I act this way, but I definitely notice times when I am volunteering for something that is initially egoistic in nature, but at the end of the day I believe that the enjoyment of helping others instigates future altruistic behaviors. I would definitely say that my grandpa is my hero, with so many horrible things he had to deal with growing up and raising a family (I will omit details) and his career change halfway through life, and putting the needs and desires of others before his own, I would definitely say that he is an incredibly important role model and hero in my life!
ReplyDeleteBen, thanks for sharing about your grandpa being your hero. My hero is my role model as well. When saying someone is a hero, there is a really fine line between egoistic and altruistic behavior.
DeleteI think that a hero is someone that puts someone else's needs, or the needs of something greater than themselves, in front of their own personal needs. Like the firefighters during 9/11, many of those men and women gave their lives to save so many others, and they did it because it was their duty and their personal altruistic ways. There have been many times in history where someone has stemmed the tide of near disaster, by sacrificing their own lives. Soldiers normally don't think twice about jumping on a grenade to save their brothers. I think that these characteristics constitute a hero.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that those are characteristics of a hero. There are so many characteristics and definitions of a hero. Thanks for sharing!!
DeleteI believe a hero is someone who is humble and does what ever is needed for the ones around them without even thinking about it. My hero happens to be my mother. She is my hero because she goes out of her way to do everything for my family even if it means working overtime on a weekly basis when she is supposed to be on vacation.
ReplyDeleteBeing humble is probably one of the traits that can be used to describe a hero. Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI think a hero is someone who will go out of there way to help someone. There should be some life danger, because anyone can give a couple dollars to a humane society, but only few will go over seas to fight for our country. Going into a burning building is heroic, but holding the door open is not.
DeleteNice post! I agree with the battle of the altruistic hero, that does things because it is what's right, versus the egotistic hero, that only does things for the credit and publicity. I absolutely think that those that serve and are in our defenses, police/fire/EMT, etc. are all heroes, but I think there are also those everyday heroes, like family members, the occasional stranger that does something for an older member in the middle of the street, smaller things like that. My father is my hero and he has a grocery list of reasons why in my opinion that he would deny, and he never served or anything like that, but it is who we see as heroes, that makes us want to be better and be that type of hero to someone else.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I agree. My hero inspires me everyday to be better and because she does that, it makes me want to inspire someone else and or help them in anyway. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteThough I believe that most people we perceive to be heroes perform actions that are altruistic in nature, I highly doubt all cases are as selfless as they seem. I feel as if many people who perform these acts, and good deeds in general, are seeking some sort of return (reciprocal altruism) or recognition/praise. Reciprocal altruism seems to make the most sense to me in any context. I have heard a lot of firemen and other typical heroes say things to the effect of "oh, I just did what anyone else would have done". This is, perhaps in some cases, a sign of humility, but may also point towards an expectation for other people to do the same thing for them.
ReplyDelete