Most people think about a tangible job when they think about what they want to be when they grow up. They want to be a doctor or a teacher, a firefighter or a nurse.
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Very few of us decide we want to be a hero. In fact, undertaking deeds specifically for the gratification of public praise is almost the opposite of heroism.
The word hero is Greek in origin, with a traditional meaning of protector or defender. When we consider the people that we hold up as heroes, we often think of superheroes like Superman or Wonder Woman people with super-human capabilities who are somehow more than the rest of us.
In many ways, this almost gives the rest of us permission to rest on our laurels and not step up to the plate when the world we live in calls batter up. After all, we werent born on Krypton or descended from an ancient magical line.
Then there are literary heroes, who we know as the key player in a narrative, or the medieval notion of a hero who did great deeds for the common good like the tales of the Knights of the Round Table, or classical heroes who fought for honour and glory like Achilles. Then there are our personal heroes who have impacted us directly like our mum or dad, a soccer coach or a celebrity.
Heroism is as old as time. The stories act as a moral compass, to demonstrate the ideal behaviour of a person we should revere, despite the weaknesses of the character cast in the role.
They are stories of overcoming challenges, stepping up despite everything.
Heroism is an archetype that bridges cultural divides and leads us to consider that despite geographical, religious and cultural differences, we all ultimately need to believe that when faced with challenges, we can overcome them.
Fred Rogers famously said, When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping. And she was right. It is easy to look at the world and see violence, abuse, war, terror, and fear, but there are always people protecting, defending, standing up, supporting, advocating and fighting where there is evil, there is also goodness, if you know to look for it.
Heroism is an archetype that bridges cultural divides and leads us to consider that despite geographical, religious and cultural differences, we all ultimately need to believe that when faced with challenges, we can overcome them.
On October 27 of this year, Robert Gregory Bowers was arrested and charged for the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh Synagogue called The Tree of Life. Eleven people were killed, seven people were injured as they sat together in prayer.
The attack was anti-Semitic, with Bowers shouting, All Jews must die! before opening fire with an AR-15 style semi-automatic assault rifle and three Glock .357 handguns. Little did Bowers know that an hour later, he would place his life in the hands of a man of the same faith he had condemned with gunfire.
Ari Mahler, a registered trauma nurse on shift in the ER heard Bowers cry Death to all Jews as he was wheeled through the doors of the hospital, and yet he never hesitated when he treated him.
In a Facebook Post, published on Sunday (AEST), Mahler addressed the news reports that had acknowledged the fact that a Jewish trauma nurse cared for the alleged shooter.
Despite a lifetime of experiencing anti-Semitism, despite fear that his own parents had been amongst the dead, Mahler acted with empathy and kindness in his professional provision of care to Bowers.
He said he treated Bowers, the same way [he] treats every other patient, and Bowers thanked him for his kindness and for saving his life.
Love is the reason why Mahler did what he did. Love in the face of evil gives others hope, he wrote. It demonstrates humanity. It reaffirms why we are all here.
The meaning of life is to give meaning to life and love is the ultimate force that connects all living beings if my actions mean anything, love means everything.
Heroes are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Mahler was a hero on that dark day and he stands as a beacon to us all. Not all heroes wear capes.
Zoë Wundenberg is a careers writer and coach at impressability.com.au