I Need A Hero
Grife, if there's anything that's truly wrong with the world today it's the lack of heroism. I have to wonder if there are any real heroes left in a world that seems to determined to tear down and ridicule those who try to really be heroic.
When did we start to live in a world where it's more interesting to see a good person slandered by some stupid "dirt" in their past rather than appreciated for the good that they have since decided to do? What kind of place is our 21st century? A place where there's a five mile pileup on the interstate because everyone has to stop and gawk at the person with a flat tire, but no one pulls over to help them? A place where you hear your neighbor's wife screaming but you don't go over to see if any thing's wrong because it's none of your business? What has humanity to be proud of in this day and age?
Where's the good samaritan, or even the courteous neighbor? I find myself growing more and more depressed seeing daily evidence of our societies degradation. I can only hope that I don't find my comic book morals crumbling under the weight of this world as sometimes it's hard to see what humanity as a whole has to offer.
Where's Superman when you really need him?
I feel as if humanity has not only lost it's way but that as a whole we have stopped looking for a better way. We build a world where the older we get the more life drags at our hearts and souls. We become such heartless creatures and only look back at our childhood with rose colored glasses and mourn for what might have been rather than working towards what could be.
This world needs heroes, without them humanity will continue to be little more than a plague on the planet, parasites with little appreciation of the life around us. If all the good people in the world would take time to be just a bit more heroic in our everyday lives humanity would greatly improve, and maybe, even begin to change.
Just a few late night thoughts... this is what happens when my "weekend" is filled with Cosmic Boy (the mini-series) and Kingdom Hearts...
When did we start to live in a world where it's more interesting to see a good person slandered by some stupid "dirt" in their past rather than appreciated for the good that they have since decided to do? What kind of place is our 21st century? A place where there's a five mile pileup on the interstate because everyone has to stop and gawk at the person with a flat tire, but no one pulls over to help them? A place where you hear your neighbor's wife screaming but you don't go over to see if any thing's wrong because it's none of your business? What has humanity to be proud of in this day and age?
Where's the good samaritan, or even the courteous neighbor? I find myself growing more and more depressed seeing daily evidence of our societies degradation. I can only hope that I don't find my comic book morals crumbling under the weight of this world as sometimes it's hard to see what humanity as a whole has to offer.
Where's Superman when you really need him?
I feel as if humanity has not only lost it's way but that as a whole we have stopped looking for a better way. We build a world where the older we get the more life drags at our hearts and souls. We become such heartless creatures and only look back at our childhood with rose colored glasses and mourn for what might have been rather than working towards what could be.
This world needs heroes, without them humanity will continue to be little more than a plague on the planet, parasites with little appreciation of the life around us. If all the good people in the world would take time to be just a bit more heroic in our everyday lives humanity would greatly improve, and maybe, even begin to change.
Just a few late night thoughts... this is what happens when my "weekend" is filled with Cosmic Boy (the mini-series) and Kingdom Hearts...
posted by Gwen at 5:25 AM
9 Comments:
They say a cynic is a skeptic with the facts and you are learning the facts.
Ultimately we will get better, I just think we have to hit bottom before we move up. What we are seeing is the bottom of a generation or too that is obessesed with their own enrichment and a legal system gone so horribly wrong then when you go to help your neighbor they sue you for hitting the husband who is beating his wife.
That's why I like the issue of Giffen's LOSH when Mon-el hits Time Trapper anyway.
This is completely off-topic, sorry.
I got here following a link from some comics blog, read your profile, and...
It's been an awfully long time since I met someone else who'd admit to liking "A Princess of Mars." Thanks for making my evening.
A Princess of Mars is the best book ever written :) And no problem!
I agree with what you are saying on some levels but I honestly think that each and every generation thinks that things have gotten worse when the reality is that these kind of troubles, behaviors, etc. have been around for as long as we have been on this earth...its just that nowadays people make money off of throwing it in our faces every day via news, tabloids, 'entertainment' television, etc. I think its all about perspective. Yes, you have to look harder to see the good. Not because it isn't there but because there is no money in showing the good. You see the bad whether you want to or not. I think we can be heroes every day in small ways and occasionally in big ones too. It just takes a bit of awareness at what is going on around us. I think the reason 'comic book morals' and those tried and true 'good vs. evil' storylines have remained popular throughout time through various mediums is not because we all want to escape reality to that kind of world but because we each have the potential for being good, strong, heroic inside...as much as we have the potential to do the opposite. Sorry to ramble so much.
And I just read the comments...I LOVE A Princess of Mars. I am slowly making my way through these ERB stories as I don't want to rush to the end. Of course then I can re-read them!!! I have gotten my wife and good friend to read them as well and they are big fans too...plus we all love the Frank Frazetta paintings that he did for the covers of some printings of these.
I tend to agree with Jim. While it is true that we find evil and selfish behavior in any era, it is evident just with a quick search through history that some times are indeed worse than others. Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany, France during the Revolution. Obviously, we haven't reached that bad of a stage here in America, but there's a good chance that we will. Again, all you have to do is look at history. Many civilizations that have attained the level of wealth and power enjoyed by America today have subsequently fallen apart. (Egypt, Rome, the Mayans, etc.)
Personally, I'm coming to realize that instead of worrying over what other people are or are not doing, I need to worry about what I am or am not doing. I have no control over other's behavior, but I do have control over my own behavior!
But, at the same time, I do agree with Carl that it's good to keep your eyes open for the good around you. It always helps my mood to take a moment to appreciate the little things that people do for me, like letting me into busy traffic or opening a door for me. One day, when I was taking the trash to the dumpster, a young man on a bike passed by. I was surprised when he stopped at the dumpster and opened the top flap for me. He drove off without a word, but the fact that he took a few moments to do something nice for a stranger really stuck with me!
I served with quite a few heroes.
I hear from them still.
They're in Iraq right now...
Those are heroes Shawn...the men and women who are serving all over the world and I hope each feel's a heroes welcome when they return.
Look, no offense, but that wasn't what I was talking about. Not every soldier is a hero - I'm talking about what makes an individual person a hero. That's defined on a much more personal level, not by your occupation. Is every doctor a hero, every nurse? No, doctor's and nurses can be just as bad or good of a person as anyone else.
I'm looking for people to show more consideration in their everyday lives, for people who stop worrying about the impact of an action on themselves if it's an action that wil help others. THAT's the hero I'm talking about, those are the people it seems hard to find.
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