Heroes are humans too

Image By U.S. Navy photo by Chief Warrant Officer Seth Rossman. [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Everybody loves a hero. Americans love heroism so much if there’s none to be found we will make one up. Not just Hollywood but the national media is churning out everyday heroes every day.  There’s nothing wrong with that, heroes prove fairy tales can be true. A reason for hope perhaps, but we often forget the best fiction is made from non-fiction, even the Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. Mythical creatures are often utilized to separate reality from fantasy and yet these “fantastic” stories are based on humanity’s version of good versus bad. The good guy (like you) will always win. 

Image By United States Army [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Master Sgt. Juan Negron, listed as an overlooked medal of honor recipient. 

Most would define a hero as selfless, courageous and strong (they must survive in order to be lauded as a hero). In March of last year I participated in an online class from the University of Leeds titled ‘World War 1: Changing Faces of Heroism” where a more international approach was taken to analyze (analyse) what a hero is and why we need them.  Often times heroes become super-human under the public spotlight, they morph into “super-heroes”, and all too often this phenomenon (heroic fame) is kryptonite for such Supermen and Wonder Women. We must remember that they are human beings still capable of that typically human fallibility. This is veneration of heroes type of behavior is called the betwixt curse of the “Ambivalent Hero(ism)”, turning the hero into a prisoner of judgement. It is important to note too, that our own judgments of ourselves are often the most critical and detrimental. For the hero, the mismatching of dialogue from the public and conflicting self tend to amplify the psychological negative self-criticism.  As a weak example, this is much like the author of a world renowned best-selling book trying to write their next book despite inevitable disappointment from the public (and self), this too is a closet form of heroism by overcoming one’s own personal demons (or bad-guys).  

Since taking that class, every time I hear the word “hero” my ears hang onto it long enough for me to think about the ‘poor hero(s)’.

Image By King-Bee Films (Internet Archive) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

The heroes of summer this year are undoubtedly the group of three Americans and an Englishman (and an unknown individual) who thwarted a terrorist attack aboard an ill-fated commuter train in France on August 21^st, 2015. Sure, it was four against one (a heavily armed one), but those four were responsible for hundreds of lives aboard the train (including themselves) and by extrapolation, thousands of family members skirted tragedy that not so good particular Friday. Two of the three Americans who were brave beyond civilian standards were in fact military trained; the other American was a childhood friend of the two. All four* individuals were presented with the Legion of Honor today, the prestigious and historically significant award was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognize acts of heroism, exceptional leaders and monumental achievements.  *Another individual who confronted the evil terrorist has yet to come forward and accept acknowledgement as a new member of the ‘Hero Hell’ club (perhaps he cannot afford the dues).

Image By Goldwyn Pictures Corporation [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Aldous Huxley was much more than a writer, he was not a hero but a real human who came really close to understanding other humans.  In his book “The Perennial Philosophy” published in 1944, he cites an article from Harper’s Magazine titled “How Men Behave in Crisis” which was highlighted with regards to its emphasis on ego-less-ness in an emergency.  As an official medical observer (psychiatrist with Air Force in England) summarizes his professional observations it becomes apparent that this account bears some resemblance to many scenarios today 70+ years later (with and without the gunfire).

“…in times of great stress and danger men are likely to react quite uniformly, even though under normal circumstances they differ widely in personality.  He (psychologist) went on one mission, during which the 6-17 plane crew were so severely damaged that survival seemed impossible…”
“Their reactions were remarkably alike. During the violent combat and in the acute emergencies that arose during it, they were all quietly precise on the interphone and decisive in action. The tail gunner, right waist gunner and navigator were severely wounded early in the fight, but all three kept at their duties efficiently and without cessation. The burden of emergency work fell on the pilot, engineer and ball turret gunner, and all functioned with rapidity, skillful effectiveness and no lost motion. The burden of the decisions, during, but particularly after the combat, rested essentially on the pilot and, in secondary details, on the co-pilot and bombardier. The decisions arrived at with care and speed were unquestioned once they were made, and proved excellent. In the period when disaster was momentarily expected, the alternate plans of action were made clearly and with no thought other than the safety of the entire crew. All at this point were quiet, unobtrusively cheerful and ready for anything. There was at no time paralysis, panic , unclear thinking, faulty or confused judgement, or self-seeking in any one of them.”
“One could not possibly have inferred from their behavior that this one was a man of unstable moods and that one was a shy, quiet, introspective man. They all became outwardly calm, precise in thought and rapid in action.”

This historical account is obviously not an isolated incident, and no doubt the same cohesion and exactitude was working in the most recently thwarted terrorist attack in France. No doubt that military training successfully decreases sensitivity to crisis, but in the end we are all just humans with a really strong survival instinct.  Despite how miserable we may seem in our daily lives, we want to live and participate, and situations like this remind us of our clear choices. Self-less-ness seems to be a heroic trait, unfortunately nobody is truly self-less, and what’s more, acts of selflessness can be detrimental to your health if not done in moderation (the art of saying “no”), or not showing up for a Legion of Honor award.

Image By Pete Souza (Medal of Honor handshake) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

We need to do something for “heroes” that lasts and is not a spooky monument or fictionalized stories of events like this that make fairy tales of truth.  Hero’s cannot even assume the title of Former Hero, like the President must do (soon). He is expected to continue being a hero, racking up medals, and generally saving kittens, babies and the elderly. They certainly have their (good) work cut out for them.  According to the heroes themselves, who never consider themselves heroic, being in the right place and the right time meant being in danger at the exact moment it could have been stopped, and since they survived (and were successful in stopping a disaster). It was almost chance that they were on the train in France on Monday with seat changes and glitchy  Wi-Fi that put them in the “right” place. Bravery comes with training and by built up confidence.

The best part of the story must be that the little people got the big bad guy. No official federal agencies were involved and the terrorist had been on the security watch list since 2014 (who is watching who watches the watch list?).  Anyway, the bad guy got on the train and was armed and dangerous. All other passengers were simply going about their day, wielding coffee, books, and cell phones primarily. The heroes were unarmed and ended up hogtying the guy, an American response certainly.  Huge military and covert operations aimed at catching terrorists just don’t seem to be working, or work as well as the penal (and corrections) system in the US. 

On my annual summer road trip it was no surprise to be stopped in traffic on the 405 Freeway in Southern California.  After checking the traffic app I assumed it was an accident that had just occurred (since it was not noted as anything other than a 5 minute delay). A minute or two later we witnessed an individual carrying something (he had apparently lost from his vehicle) and was crossing the South bound side waving “Thanks” to the entire freeway of cars that he had brought to a complete halt single handedly. There were no police, fire or tow trucks on the scene. After the man made it to the shoulder, the freeway resumed its flow.  A pedestrian on the 405 is dangerous as it is, not to mention the decisive, effective and brave decision this one person made and lived to tell his friends or simply shrug it off-who knows, he wasn't a hero. This story may not even be heroic or impressive, but it does show us what is possible, that we can all do things and take care of things ourselves quite capably.

Image  in Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. 

Imagine if there were more individuals like that.  Even if there was just one in every group, it is likely terrorist would fail.  Fail first at inciting terror and second at actually carrying out malicious acts that result in fatalities (and thereby creating terror).  Perhaps if there were more people willing to run across the 405 Freeway equipped with merely a survival instinct and trust in others, there would be a lot less traffic.
We are all heroes. We are here now, discussing and reading about others failures and successes. Already we are a survivor and heroes of our own life story.  Fairy tales are not simply creating disillusionment, they are mirroring the fantasy we all carry around with us, for the real us that wants to be saved and (or) that wants to be the savior- but we neglect saving ourselves, except in times of crisis as in when our life is at stake. 

It is doubtful that the majority of the public realizes the curse of heroism and the burden it places on dubbed heroes. We do need to do something to not only acknowledge acts of bravery and heroism, but celebrate them in order to raise the bar of behavior for everyone else.  In the old days (and in the movies) when someone happens to save your life, you owe them a favor in return. Maybe this is the simplest solution. If a human saves 1,000 people, he is owed 1,000 reciprocal human favors and not a valueless ego-medal, an unrecognizable statue, fantasies being made of their non-fiction lives (Brian Williams). 

Being a hero is dangerous. 

Being human is priceless.

Gratitude is intangible. 

Favors yield higher returns than cash in the bank. 

Goodwill requires one willing to be good. 

Heroes are humans that deserve to be forgotten, just like you and I. 

Image by Theodoros Vryzakis [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, 1858.