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Moral Heroic Responsibility

Heroism is a product of courage coupled with altruism and sacrifice to leave a legacy behind that goes well beyond the normal scope of the rational human being. As a result, they leave behind a memory that leaves for many years after they die. Examples of heroes are Hercules who was a vicious killer feared by many, Asclepius who was the first doctor and Dionysus, the inventor of the fraternities of the Greek empire. To be remembered for a good deed or great achievement is a wish that most people have before they die. Morally, it is always good to be remembered in the hearts of many for a good deed. Every single human being on this earth has a moral responsibility to be a hero to someone or something.

At this age and time, it is virtually impossible to separate heroism from morality. They are bound together by an invisible thread that can only be seen by poring through the originality of the situational context. Testing the actions of people who act morally reveals an inner drive that is unparalleled which eventually breeds heroism. It happens inadvertently such that it coincides with heroism. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every human being to leave morally and leave behind a legacy in which they are a hero at something. Human beings need heroes since they help define the limits of their aspirations. Heroes are role models who possess the qualities that people look for in them. A good example is a person who regards Martin Luther King as their hero. They will have a different sense of heroism to a person who regards Osama Bin Laden as their hero. Morally speaking the two people had different legacies. They are both remembered for their actions to humanity. However, Osama Bin Laden quite contrasts the ideals of heroism by acting immorally to people who don’t subscribe to his ideas. Therefore basing the argument on morally leaving a legacy is quite shallow and misleading (Owens, Christabel, and Helen).

There is a hero inside every human being, and this makes them special and unique in their special way. The world would be a better place if every person strived to morally be a hero at something. It is, therefore, the moral responsibility of each person to act morally in the world. Acting morally quite contrast the ideals that most people hold about the definition of heroism. Heroism is doing something where you are taking great risks to help another person without really expecting something in return. However, the fact that there is a hero deep within a person should not make them feel superior unless their deeds are dedicated to leaving the world a better place. Naturally, human beings tend towards evil. They are wired towards watching something from a distance. This notion is often referred to as the bystander effect (Barber).

Many people perceive life differently depending on their experiences. Each person is a product of their experience. For instance, research was conducted by Ervin Staub on the motivators of heroism. His study had very significant findings. Most notably is the fact that those people who had gone through periods of suffering like assaults and violent assaults and natural disasters were wired towards acting heroically in the face of uncertainty. It is all about knowing the toughness of circumstances. People who have faced suffering and gotten help from well-wishers have a moral obligation to help others in the face of adversity. There is another category of people who have not had any bouts of suffering that is of great significance that they have to find a reason to act when they get in a situation where instances of heroism are bound to prevail. Therefore it’s not a moral responsibility to feel obligated to act in a way that the society expects unless one has a good reason backed up by a good background to do it (Staub).

The problem with most people is their devotion to heroism. Most people have devoted their attention to the wrong heroes. It is therefore essential that people leave behind a legacy that is admired by many in a positive sense. Leaving behind a morally acceptable idea of heroism that is widely acceptable by many should be the obligation of many. The main problem with the current society is that it is pervasive and skeptical about the whole idea of heroism. The corrosive culture tends to corrode all the positive aspects of heroism leave behind a facet that is not admired by many but a selected few. Most of the ideals have been betrayed by the leaders and heroes we look up to. Human beings should strive to leave behind the best version of them for the world to see and admire. It is all about expanding the sense of possibility and poring to other horizons. Ideals of heroism should not be too cramped such that they promote the immoral.

Due to the complexity of the immorality of some actions, people have often found a reason to defend an offensive or immoral thing however much it contrasts the expectations of many. Open minded people find it hard to take a side of the argument that supports morality despite them knowing well the magnitude of the immorality deep within their hearts. However to a rational human being heroism should be all about passion. Heroes experience the passion and in one way or another make it known to the outside world. Defining heroism to the standards of morality should well align to the expectations of the world from a humanistic point of view. If the passion of a person is immoral, they may find it hard to leave in the real world. It is important to be realistic in the current world. Their dreams need to be blended with the wishes of the people. As such, it should be a moral responsibility for people to be heroes to those who look up to them. The presence of other people may also derail the passions of people who would wish to be heroes to other people at something. Heroism should well be grounded on recognizing fully ones individuality in the face of opposition and morality.

Works Cited

Barber, Benjamin. Aristocracy of everyone. Ballantine Books, 2012.Owens, Christabel, and Helen Lambert. “Mad, bad or heroic? Gender, identity and accountability in lay portrayals of suicide in late twentieth-century England.” Culture, medicine, and psychiatry 36.2 (2012): 348-371.

Staub, Ervin. The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership, and heroism. Oxford University Press, 2015.