{"id":1485,"date":"2013-02-17T08:21:52","date_gmt":"2013-02-17T13:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2013-02-17T08:27:01","modified_gmt":"2013-02-17T13:27:01","slug":"no-hero-among-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=1485","title":{"rendered":"no hero among us"},"content":{"rendered":"

he\u00b7ro<\/strong> [heer<\/strong>-oh]<\/p>\n

noun, plural he\u00b7roes; for 5 also he\u00b7ros.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> <\/strong>a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble\u00a0qualities.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> <\/strong>a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model\u00a0or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Classical Mythology.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a.<\/strong> <\/strong>a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0b. <\/strong>(in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0c. <\/strong>(in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> hero sandwich.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(#5 is easiest to unambiguously define.)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For some reason, we seem always in search of a “hero”…\u00a0 finding that person who is truly heroic, who can do no wrong, whose character is impeccable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In South Africa this past Valentines Day, a beautiful model, Reeva Steenkamp, was shot multiple times and thus killed.\u00a0 She was allegedly shot by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee runner who caused the world to take notice as he took competitors by surprise in the London Olympics of 2012.\u00a0 Pistorius is an Olympic and South African \u201chero.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Intramuralist has no idea whether Pistorius is guilty or innocent; what I do know, however, is that the nicknamed \u201cBlade Runner\u201d has reason to lie.\u00a0 Allow me to put this mildly:\u00a0 his \u201chero status\u201d is in jeopardy.\u00a0 That\u2019s a tough thing to lose \u2014 an intangible seemingly incapable of retrieving once lost.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remember that when our \u201chero\u201d speaks, we listen.\u00a0 When our \u201chero\u201d opines, we believe; and when our \u201chero\u201d encourages, we oblige.\u00a0 Our “hero\u2019s” character is impeccable; we have made it so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Their character is impeccable because we have forgotten that our “heroes” are first human; and short of the Messiah, no human\u2019s character is flawless.\u00a0 We forget that.\u00a0 And so, when a “hero” perceives they may suddenly lose their privileged status \u2014 falling far, far from grace, so-to-speak \u2014 they have significant reason to lie.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s your “hero”?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oscar Pistorius?\u00a0 Steve Jobs?\u00a0 Barack Obama?<\/p>\n

Martin Luther King?\u00a0 Pete Rose?\u00a0 Margaret Thatcher?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Living or dead \u2014 \u201cgood people\u201d or not \u2014 our “heroes” are first and foremost human.\u00a0 Human means not a savior, no where close to a messiah, and always capable of error.\u00a0 Hence, because a “hero” often arises to such status due to the inflating by the people around him\/her, when that status is jeopardized, they are tempted to do what it takes to keep it afloat.\u00a0 They have learned how to juggle and maintain the inflated status for so long, they are then motivated to do what it takes to survive the for-once-penetrable claim.\u00a0 Lying is an option.\u00a0 Perhaps lying (egad)<\/em> was even learned long ago… learned as a means of actually juggling the status…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When confronted with the charges against him, the family of Oscar Pistorius released an immediate statement:\u00a0 “The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms.”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of course the murder is disputed…\u00a0 No hero would do such a thing…\u00a0 This is impossible!<\/em>\u00a0 We should note that the reality is that even though no other person is known to be their house that morning \u2014 and that Pistorius has been involved in previous domestic violence incidents \u2014 that Pistorius may be innocent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Innocent or not, our “heroes” sometimes lie.\u00a0 They unfortunately have reason to do so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Respectfully,<\/p>\n

AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

he\u00b7ro [heer-oh] noun, plural he\u00b7roes; for 5 also he\u00b7ros. 1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble\u00a0qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model\u00a0or ideal: He was a local hero when … <\/p>\n

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