Judysnotes’s Blog

What is a Hero?

he-ro:  NOUN

1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine. See Synonyms at celebrity.
4. The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.

Retrieved from:  www.education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/hero.

I put this definition here to make a point.  I have heard it said over and over and over that Barak Obama is the hero of countless people – celebrities, friends, colleagues, and so on.  It’s everywhere.  A street in St. Louis has been renamed to Barak Obama Blvd.  We now can even purchase a coin with his picture on it.  I have actually heard the terms “saviour” and “messiah” used by the media to describe him.

Here’s my question:  What has he done to earn these labels?  He has won the presidential election.  He will be our president.  That’s the point.  He isn’t yet.  He WILL be.  I think it would be a magnificent idea to let him become our president before we elevate him to the level of hero.  To actually allow him to show what he is capable of accomplishing in the office before we put him on that pedestal – and begin renaming our streets after him.  I know, I know – he’s our first African-American president elect.  Well, half African-American, anyway.  I am very happy that we have finally broken that racial barrier.  It’s past time for that to happen.  But let’s be honest.  He hasn’t done anything yet, really.  Who knows what kind of president he will be.  It’s impossible to know that because he isn’t even the president yet.   Shouldn’t we just wait with all of the hero worship for awhile?  Maybe let him actually do something for the economy, make a popular decision or two or something?  I’m just saying….

Secondly – who can possibly live up to what the people of this country and possibly the world have set as the expectation for this mere mortal man?  Anything less than miraculous will fall short as his performance as president.  How can he measure up?  I worry about this.  I vigorously disagree with several of the things he stands for and what he plans to do.  But he will be our president and I am concerned for his welfare and that of his family.   We expect him to fix everything – and if he can’t, what will the consequences be?  Can he handle the rejection and disrespectful jabs the have plagued President Bush?  Will he choose to make the decisions based on what he thinks is right rather than what is popular?

We are a fickle people.  This love affair with Barak Obama may be aglow right now.   Why it even exists, I just don’t know.  If he deserves it remains to be seen.  I hope that in a couple of years I can write another entry that rebuts this whole entry completely.  For now – I’m just blown away.  Does anyone else feel the same way?

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