Who are our heroes?

Today, the two NFL finalists will be determined by physical combat on the frozen-ish fields of commercial glory. 

I'm not bitter that my team is not in the conference championship; this is something that is, for the most part, earned. They did not. That said, two games today: one at 3pm, one at 6:30pm, and likely I'll be fighting the Toddler in Chief for TV time. 

That's okay; we have two televisions, and one of them can be dedicated to pbs kids or Disney Channel. 

I've been talking with my Brit Lit students about why cultures need heroes, and how we toss around the word "hero" far too casually, in the modern sense. While I would likely appreciate a cup of coffee, you bringing it to me does not make you a hero. And it is highly likely I'll get some push-back for this next statement, but I stand by it: people who are rigorously trained to do a job, and then do it well, are not heroes. Unless, of course, what they are facing is well beyond the scope of their training, and they do it anyway. Teachers, first responders, military personnel, etc. are all trained to do their jobs and (we hope) do them well and successfully. That ad campaign a while ago that said "Thank a teacher, thank a hero" was a bit cringey for me. I have spent decades working on what I do, but when I do it, and the lessons work, I'm glad-- but I didn't save anyone with an essay. At least, I don't think so.

So, who are our heroes? Musicians, sports figures, movie stars? While what they do is often worth noting, I doubt very much that they are heroic. Some may be: that iconic photo of Jim Rice rushing to the aid of the child who was hurt during a game-- that was not in his job description, but he did it and it made a huge difference. That was, at least to the child and family, heroic. But hitting a home run, or sliding into a base against all odds (we see you, Dave Roberts)-- is exciting, wonderful, but not heroic. 

But we need people to look up to, don't we? People who can and do perform better than we can. Idols, certainly. Role models, definitely. But not heroes. Heroes are larger than the landscape they are in; those folks we look up to, while awesome and inspiring, are human. 

Idolizing a human being to the extent that they become "god-like" or --heaven forfend-- are said to be a "savior" is treading very close to blasphemy. And it's dangerous to give that much emotional and spiritual currency to a mere human being. That is how cults happen. And in our political landscape, there are a lot of signs that there is a cult among us-- at least one. And that scares the pants offa me, thanks. The danger is very real when that much power is gifted to a single person. History tells us that it usually results in a whole lot of suffering. I'm pretty sure we don't need to do that again --and again.

So we do need a hero, of some sort. Maybe we should dig deep and be our own.

Have a good day, and go, Lions?

C