An Essay On Heroism

What is a hero? What does it mean to be heroic? What kind of person should we place above others as our heroes?

When I think of heroes in real-life they are seldom loud about their achievements. Many of us on here may remember the image of the protester stopping a tank in China during those protests all the way back in 1989, but we also probably will never know his name. I don't even know if he's alive or was killed by the Chinese government for embarrassing them in front of the world.

Even my heroes who are public figures tend to have a quiet way about them which means that even though the public eye is upon them they do not need to raise their voices to get their points across, when I think of a hero like this my mind is immediately drawn to the scientist, novelist and dick-pic sender to the stars, Carl Sagan (if you know the images on the Voyager space probes you'll know what I mean). Carl Sagan had, like all great educators, a way about him that allowed complex ideas to be rendered understandable, not easy, but digestible to minds eager to learn.

When I think about heroism and doing what's right, I consider Mr Rogers speech to the senate committee on the importance of public service television and its role in education. In an age of cynicism standing up and being heartfelt and genuine can be more powerful than a hand Grenade and sometimes more impactful. This is an example of a humble person bringing about change through the power of persuasion rather than personality, but looking at this from the opposite side can people in politics be heroes? Politics is usually a nasty business were people are often accused (sometimes fairly, sometimes not) of being liars and out for themselves. Can politicians truly be heroes?

Well I think they can.

When I think of Katie Porter's regular takedowns of the powerful whilst simultaneously laying bare the plight of working people I cannot help but be impressed by her pluck and skill in explaining these issues to people whose ignorance (in spite of their intelligence) is staggering. Add to that the likes of Mitt Romney, the late John McCain and Liz Cheney, who in spite of political differences I might have with them, stood against Donald Trump and in some cases still are doing. They were always vocal over their opposition to Teflon Don and in spite of the pressure to capitulate have not done so thus far. Over here in the U.K. I think of the leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas who has been a voice for change over the last 13 years and had seen their party surge in local elections across the U.K., and in terms of the top office I think of John Major, a man mortar-bombed in Downing Street who did not let that deter him from continuing to try and seek peace in Northern Ireland, something achieved by his successor, but achievable due in part to Major's efforts. Major is a man who was unappreciated in office, but many of his beliefs have been proven correct in the decades since he left office.

But when I think of the greatest hero and possibly biggest influence on my life it was a man who even now holds sway over everything I would want and hope to be...Jack Kirby. Some people grew up worshipping sport stars, pop stars, TV heroes, but for me it was the British reprints of American comics and one artist in particular whose dynamic style seemed unmatched. Back then although I didn't know about different artists and different styles I knew what I liked and Kirby's characters appeared to have Shakespearean performances, stoic heroes and balletic action that seemed to dance across the page.

Jack's tale however is also a tragic one as he was eclipsed in the creation of Marvel characters by the legendary showman Stan Lee and then later in life suffered from having hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of his artwork stolen. The only upside is that as the MCU has become an international money-making machine, more people than ever have become aware of his skill, his storytelling abilities, his reinvention of what a comic-book page could be and even his distinctive use of collage.

He has been gone about 20 years now, but as long as there is entertainment his name will live on.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the person who inspired this outpouring of content and this essay...Oggbashan himself.

I can't say I knew him, came across his work or even had the fortune to discuss things with him on the forum, but I think it's interesting the things that are being said about him and how that feeds into the concept of heroism. I've read tales of him tackling bullies on the site, come across stories of him acting as a moderator of the bulletin boards where many of us engage in quirky perverted waffle, but the main thing I've read about is how he took people under his wing, how he was a mentor to so many and how his influence has affected them.

I think when we look at heroism what we see is that it's many things; honesty, mentoring, being steadfast, empathy, passion, a thirst for knowledge, a want to improve and to improve others, inspiration, sharing, humility and sometimes standing-up for or to others.

Heroism isn't one thing. But those people who are heroes are usually awash with many if not all of the qualities above.

To borrow the phrase of Jack Kirby's long-time collaborator Stan Lee...nuff said.