We all know that every hero has his faults. When we were small children we didn't believe that at all, we took that hero for what was presented to us. In my youth it was Superman and Batman. Superman did stand for truth, justice and the American way. Batman was a bit darker but always fought for the right cause and tried to help those criminals reform. Moral lessons were an integral part of the story. But I knew they were fictional, there really was no superman or batman. Still, I had other heroes, the cowboys that could very well have been real people. The cowboys rode that range and fought the good fight, always. They wanted to be friends with those Indians but the Indians often attacked them, they had little choice. They were just defending themselves!
Today the children are being raised with quite a different mindset altogether. Every flaw, every shortcoming, every misstep and mistake must be shown, confessed and overcome. Today the goal is to be a survivor! In my youth the goal was simply to survive, co-habitat the planet as best as you could, independent and self reliant. I was expected to forge my own path. Today the children have no heroes to look up to, to emulate.
What are they supposed to do and become? The response will be varied but the bottom line is, whatever they want to be. Well, that sounds all well and good on the surface of things, except when the thing they want to be goes against the social norms and societal expectations. When that happens mental issues are the result. Yes, peer pressure, societal pressure does affect our mental well being. We used to call the people attempting to impose their reality on others, bullies. In extreme cases they were simply misfits, miscreants and nuts! They certainly weren't heroes.
They were the ones that couldn't separate reality from fantasy. The majority of us knew you couldn't fly and didn't put on a cape and jump off a building or try to leap tall buildings in a single bound. We pretended to do that, but didn't insist everyone else believe it. Truth was, you didn't tell anyone that unless you were certain they would play along with your game because you knew it was pretend. As you grew and matured you left that stuff behind., kept them as treasured memories, a place to go in your mind when you needed to just relax a bit. You go to your private world. Only those that agree with you are allowed into your private world, the most exclusive place on this earth, your own mind. It is a separate reality. Maturity is being able to distinguish between those two worlds.
Just who are the heroes today? It appears to me they are the ones that have managed to force their behaviors, life choices and sense of morality and/or ethics on others. They are the ones attempting to set a new standard, a much lower standard in my opinion. Whereas the heroes of my youth worked to uphold the American way, to fight for truth and justice for others, not for themselves, that has shifted. Now the fight is to not only have society accept my choices, but have society provide full support for that choice!
The heroes of my youth rode off into the sunset and that was enough. Todays heroes demand a ticker tape parade to showcase their great achievements! Banners, flags and ribbons abound, declaring that hero status! Who are the heroes today? Everyone is a hero! That is what we are being told. No longer is there a pretense that the hero always does the right thing, that the hero acts purely out of doing what is right.
No, today the hero is the one that tells everyone else they are wrong! The hero blazes a brave new trail, breaking every social convention along the way. It's the removal of a morality. That morality is being replaced by by legality. If it is legal, it is moral. That's the premise. So the solution becomes a lot easier, just make whatever it is, legal. No need for introspection, self examination or empathy. If it is legal, it is moral. So today the only "heroes" are those that are fighting for the removal of morality instead of those teaching it. Wasn't that the purpose of a hero, to teach us those moral lessons. The good guys always win because they do what is best for everyone. The good guys win because they are honest. The good guys win because they have the support of others. They have that support because? Because, they are the good guys. Did they have flaws? Not so you would notice they didn't. That was by design. It was a wholesome fantasy.
Today Superman just says, truth , justice and the human way. He also says, I love you Lois. A Superman that is just a bit more vulnerable. A little less of a hero.
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