Captain Australia’s Crime Fighting Journal, Entry#24
What is a hero ? What are the qualities a hero must possess ?
There’s an old english proverb “a hero is a man who is afraid to run away“, which I think does contain a nugget of truth. Part of heroism is perseverence, chasing your goals to the bitter end.
But overall, I think a hero is someone who puts the welfare of others ahead of their own welfare. I like this, as it would cover the range of every day heroes that we all admire: nurses, teachers, social workers, emergency services.
So: perseverence, sacrifice – important qualities for heroes – we’re getting somewhere.
What else ?
Courage. A hero must have courage. Again, courage is not the absence of fear – courage is facing your fears and moving forward deliberately.
Courage, persistence, sacrifice .. surely there is more ? Leadership ?
Yes, I think that’s it. A hero must be a leader. I don’t mean they must march around barking orders, but that they must lead by example. Under leadership I include a range of qualities: moral fortitude, having a dream, being able to inspire others, being able to articulate your goals.
I think that covers some of the core qualities of a hero: the other stuff is really just window-dressing. It doesnt take strapping on a mask to be a hero, it doesnt take knowing kungfu. It takes having a dream that we can all live in a better world, a vision of something better, and having the courage of your convictions and the persistence to follow it through.
I don’t know if I can be all of these things, but I promise you this: I will try with all my heart. I will give my last breath fighting to make Captain Australia an inspiration to you all.
I’m organising a big training session tomorrow, where my videographer will come over and push me hard, and I will upload some video to give you an idea of how much work I’m putting into making myself fit to be your hero. In the meantime, I can report that I’m down 1.4k, a nice start.
To close on the topic of heroes, I’d like you to think about people in your day to day life who you consider to be a hero. Then I’d like to challenge you: tell them.
You might be surprised, but a word from you could make all the difference in the world.
I’ve been following the quest of Jessica Watson (http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/), this young girl intending to be the youngest person ever to sail the world. I applaud her: to set sail and chase a dream is an act courage. To follow it through shows persistence and leadership. Do you think she meets the definition of a Hero ?