THE word ‘hero’ (heroine) comes from the Ancient Greek ‘heros’, and our country continues to grapple with the concept as to who or what a hero or heroine is. The concept has also changed in meaning from ancient times to today. In Greek mythology a hero was a virtual demigod, and later, according to Wikipedia, the male and female hero or heroine came to refer to characters, who in the fact of danger and adversity, or from a position of weakness, displayed courage and the will for self sacrifice – heroism – for some greater good of humanity.
SO over the years it has changed from referring to mainly martial courage to a more general form of moral excellence.But not only the latter, and some are of the opinion (and this includes myself) that the words ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’ have almost lost their meaning due to incorrect or inappropriate usage.Especially as we celebrated Heroes’ Day, we all ask ourselves who the heroes of our society are, those individuals worthy of collective admiration. We tend perhaps, in Namibia, to confine the concept to the armed struggle and our ‘heroes’ are generally regarded as those who have worked for the liberation of Namibia from German colonial times to date.These military ‘heroes’, for example, may have showed outstanding bravery and courage in the face of battle, but they’ve also killed people! Surely the conscientious objector has just as much claim to being ‘heroic’?And perhaps because we’re largely looking at the concept in the military context, we are losing sight of the wider meaning of the word/s.Not everyone has what it takes to be a true hero, in the real meaning of the word, and perhaps that is why society often labels people heroes who are not really heroes at all.There is therefore a lot of ‘misplaced’ hero worship.If one asks some of the youth, for example, who their heroes are, they might choose one of their parents (and in this context they probably refer to role model rather than ‘hero’); but they may also choose a popular singer or movie star, model or sportsman or woman. They may want to emulate them, and they consider them their ‘heroes’, but this may be primarily because those in question have achieved fame and fortune and are not necessarily strong and courageous individuals.Some of the ‘hero worship’ is often misplaced. People tend to admire the rich and powerful and many see them as their ‘heroes’, but in my view, while they have certainly been achievers, they’re not heroes unless they accomplished something that has benefitted other people, whether it is the community, the nation, or mankind in general.In the ancient Greek times, heroes were often mythological rather than real, and yet they nevertheless inspired people about their past history, and often taught lessons as to how to live.So while they may not have been ‘real’ or ‘true’ they nevertheless provided the people of those times with inspiration.Some would also argue that there are no true heroes at all and perhaps there never were. So the concept of the self-sacrificing individual working for the greater good may be a concept just as mythical as the ancient Greek gods.And while I do believe that there are people the world over with ‘heroic qualities’, I’m also not convinced there are any real heroes. As a youth I was inspired by Che Guevara; and he could be termed my hero back then. As I matured, still an admirer of Che, I realised that he was after all human, with the frailties and weaknesses we all share.We do need heroes though, however mythical they may be, in order to believe in and aspire to better things. Most people are probably ‘heroes’ at one time or another in their lives, where they may have committed acts of courage, bravery or self-sacrifice for others.The ‘ideal’ hero, in the true sense of the word, is probably an impossible dream; but it is good to dream and to believe in a better world with better people in it.We should allow ourselves therefore, to have our own heroes, or perhaps more aptly, role models in the modern world. People who inspire us in whatever field of endeavour, but most importantly, those who commit themselves to the greater good. We certainly need more of them in Namibia, and in searching them out, perhaps we should focus more on the qualities of heroism than the title itself.
