Two Minutes: On the Dangers of Heroes

Descended from Greek males- exclusively- this word has become open to gender-bending and in its more modern forms includes women, as well as assorted animals, aliens and the occasional heroic single-celled organism.

A powerful idea and a double-edged sword: On the one hand, the idea of heroism and heroes inspires achievement, goals, values and something to work towards. On the other, it can hamper this very inspiration by allowing the inspired to delegate their actions to those they consider heroic- transferring the possibility of a heroic act or life to other, more obvious figures. In stead of asking "what can I do", the question becomes "why doesn't the hero do?" and the person asking that question doesn't, though they could.

Heroes come in varieties:
1.) those that swoop in, capes aflutter, to save the day in a flash of colour and explosive displays of heroism. They then swoop out again, maybe never to be seen again, but are remembered forever.
2.) those that stay, invisibly tending their surroundings on a daily basis, unnoticed. Though they are less visible than the first variety, they are more colourful and diverse than they are generally given credit for. On balance, they may save more days than the heroes of the former ilk.

Heroes sometimes start out as villains, and sometimes become villains again in historical hindsight- conveniently adapting to the narrative of the day.

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