A Hero in the Neighborhood

by Theresa Jones

When I think of the word Hero, my mind tends to automatically think of Superman, Wonder Woman, and other comic book heroes. But when I really think about what the word hero really means, I think of people who sacrifice themselves for the greater good, such as Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks. Then I start to think about a different kind of hero, everyday people who act heroically without any desire for recognition; the firefighter who risks his life to save others, the volunteer at the animal shelter, the student who recognizes and stands up against bullying. It seems like the people that are admired the most (especially by young people) and who are perceived as heroic, are sports stars, pop singers, and reality show stars. What about the doctors who risk their lives in Africa to help ebola patients? What about the church pastor who tirelessly and selflessly continues to feed the hungry? What about my grandmother? There are so many people who are actively living as heroes, trying to save the world, trying to help humankind, and they are mostly overlooked as heroes, while children identify their heroes as Spider Man, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning and the like. While there is nothing wrong with admiring these people, it is another thing to see them as real life heroes. They are celebrities (yes, I think Spider Man has achieved celebrity status at this point).        

There are many literary or real life heroes that I could profile, but I want to profile someone that was basically an ordinary person who maybe didn’t seem heroic, but really was. The media, specifically television, contributes enormously to who our children look up to and view as heroic, and in my opinion there is a limited amount of television programming that has heroic characters. PBS is still something good for kids to watch; Sesame Street is still going strong after 40 years, and it is full of everyday heroes (Big Bird was my hero growing up, along with Wonder Woman, of course). I think that in this crazy world we live in that the lack of quality children’s programming is detrimental to our youth. One of my favorite shows growing up was Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and I think that Fred Rogers is a real life hero.        

Mr. Rogers wasn’t just a television personality, he was also an educator, a minister, and a life long advocate for the education of children. He was passionate about his work, and he used his skills as a child educator, musician, and puppeteer to create his show, which was innovative and different from other children’s programs. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood taught children about respect for others and themselves, and helped children to confront fear and real life issues such as death and divorce, while instilling good values and morals. Rogers led a very interesting life outside of his television show, and he did many great things for the education of children and also he advocated for government funding for public television. He received many awards from Emmys to the Peabody Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He gave selflessly of himself his entire life and was truly dedicated to children’s education, health and happiness. Plus, he was creative and fun. He created very likeable characters, he himself was a likeable character, and thousands of kids could not wait to tune in to his show every week. He was very loved by all, and overall just a very cool dude; the sweaters that he wore on the show were knitted by his mother, how sweet is that?    

Mr. Rogers did not save the world, he never ran into a burning building to save someone, he didn’t try to cure diseases, and he wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet, but what he did accomplish in his lifetime was honorable and very heroic. I think that he would make a good subject for this project because there is just so much that people don’t know about him and his accomplishments, or his dedication to children’s education and quality children’s television. He did many great things for children and society as a whole. I have included two Mr. Rogers quotes that say a lot about the man that he was:        

“The world is not always a kind place.That’s something all children learn for themselves, whether we want them to or not, but it’s something they really need our help to understand.”

“Those of us in broadcasting have a special calling to give whatever we feel is the most nourishing that we can for our audience. We are servants of those who watch and listen.”

   
It is indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Mr. Rogers!

What is a Hero?

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Rev. Veasey in Cold Mountain.
(NOT a particularly heroic character.)
Strange and melancholy timing that we
started watching this movie in class this week.

This past week there have been many people on the Internet writing about the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman; at the same time, the other big celebrity story has been about Woody Allen getting the Lifetime Achievement award at the Oscars and possibly having molested his adopted daughter when she was a child.

I don't want to dwell or speculate on the details of either story, but what they have both brought to mind for me are questions about celebrity and heroism.  Our culture seems to have a tendency to confuse the two, otherwise we might not be so shocked when we discover that celebrities are often deeply flawed human beings.

So I'd like to look at the definition of the word "hero."  For the purpose of this post I'm offering two distinct definitions (and both are open for debate):

1. someone with heroic qualities such as courage or honor or altruism, who has demonstrated those qualities through heroic acts that others have benefited from.
2. the principal character in a story.

Clearly these are very different definitions.  It is the first that comes into question for me when considering the lives of Hoffman and Allen.  These men are not heroes by this definition simply because they are celebrities, nor even because of their talent.  Have these men done heroic things?  If so, have they done "enough" of them to earn them the label of "hero"?  Does death through drug overdose automatically disqualify someone from having been a hero?  Can someone who has molested a child ever be considered a hero?  Why or why not?  Can someone be a hero in some ways and not in others?  Can a villain be redeemed and become a hero? If so, how? Who decides?  

We all have people we hold as heroes in some way; what is it about them that makes them heroes for us?  And how do we react if we see them display less than heroic or even villainous qualities?  

I also want to touch on the second definition of "hero."  From that perspective, everyone is the hero of his or her own story, his or her own "hero's journey."  And yet, to complete the hero's journey cycle as described by Joseph Campbell, the hero has to overcome his or her villainous urges or tendencies and perform some deed(s) that line up with the first definition of "hero."    

Do you see yourself as such a hero?  

To me, it is a heroic act to explore questions like these, beyond the knee-jerk black-and-white responses that might first arise.  Even if we don't come to comfortable, clear-cut answers.  If you have any thoughts on this topic that you'd like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments below.