Catching Idle Butterflies

My Hero! *swoon*

When I first saw the commercials for this new ‘reality’ show on the Scifi channel called "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" I thought, “Oh, great, one more way of bastardizing what it truly means to be a hero.”

I’ve always cringed when people use “hero” to describe entertainers, athletes (though there are exceptions) and other famous people. They aren’t heros, they are idols, people we worship and envy. Searching the definition of hero, I found this on http://wikipedia.com that stated my thoughts perfectly: Some social commentators prescribe the need for heroes in times of social upheaval or national self-doubt, seeing a requirement for virtuous role models, especially for the young. Such myth-making may have worked better in the past: current trends may confuse heroes and their hero-worship with the cult of mere celebrity.

What then is a hero?

Believe it or not, Stan Lee, the creator of Spider Man, Superman and other Marvel Comic characters, as well as the creator of scifi’s new show has it right. This is an excerpt of what the show is about from the website http://www.scifi.com/superhero : From all walks of life have come 11 very different people, all out to prove to legendary comic-book creator Stan Lee that they have what it takes to be a true superhero. But as they're about to learn, it takes more than a sharp costume and cool powers to be a hero — because for a true superhero, it's what kind of person you are that counts the most . . .

Take a look at Stan Lee’s heros. They all have incredible powers, but they long for obscurity, for normalcy. Yet at the same time, they know the responsibility they have to others, to use their gifts appropriately and wisely.

Still, I will never watch this show because of the reward to the winner: . . . only one aspiring superhero will have the inner strength and nobility to open the gates to comic-book immortality. The winner of this six-week competition will walk away with their character immortalized in a new comic book developed with Stan Lee. And that's not all — the winning character will also appear in an original SCI FI Channel movie!

In the end it’s still about the contestants, not about the people they seek to help. I heard once, “the definition of character is doing what’s right when no one is looking.”

That can also be said of heros. All true heros would never call themselves such. They do what’s necessary, what’s right, no matter the odds or how many times they may fail. They do so silently, humbly, and with only one thing in mind – to help others. Their only reward is the knowledge they succeeded in making someone’s life better.

Who then, using that definition, qualifies to be a hero?