This post was originally published in 2014 · Jacob M Hansen

PICTURE CAPTION: Audie Murphy, a WWII soldier decorated with every military combat award for valor available from the US Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism.

Last week, Kai Forbath kicked a forty yard overtime field goal to win the game for his NFL team the Washington Redskins as they battled the Dallas Cowboys.  Like most other sport victories, this event was important enough to be featured on the front headlines of many major news sites the next day.  Not that this is anything new of course: our lives are all full of famous athletes, celebrities, and movie stars. And as shown by our media, economy, and daily conversations, these are people who we observe, uphold, focus on, and in some cases idolize.  As much as we may or may not wish to admit it, these people have hero-like status in our society.

But let me tell you about a marine named James Hassell, who fought in Iraq just a few years ago.  One day, during an intense firefight, one of his comrades was severely wounded by shrapnel, and was doomed to die if he did not obtain immediate medical attention.  The squad of soldiers determined to do everything they could to get him help. The problem was, the help they needed was one hundred yards down a tight alley filled with crossfire.

Without hesitation, James declared “put him on my back.”  So, slinging his buddy across his back, James prepared to begin his sprint across a football field riddled with mortal danger.  In the last second before he began to run, he remembered a promise he had made to his mother: that someday he would return home in one piece.  In that moment, he realized that he was about to break that promise. But he determined to go anyways. 

Miraculously, both James and his buddy lived through the battle.  But happy ending or not, James Hassell was willing to give up his own life on the chance that he could save someone else.  In my opinion, he was a hero. But did this great act of valor and sacrifice receive any where near the same amount of attention as does any standard football player running the same 100 yards for money and fame?  No, in fact it received only a few sentences in a county newspaper following James’ early death last year.

Now, I love sports and entertainment as much as anyone, but I think that the over-riding focus we put on them shows how we as a society have replaced heroism with mere popularity.

And by heroism I mean people who show us the greatness and the goodness in humanity, and motivate us to follow in their footsteps.  People who we become better for idealizing and mimicking. Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero With a Thousand Faces, defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

These heroes have existed in some form throughout every culture in history, from Hercules to King Arthur, to Audie Murphy.  Their images molding the cultures that created them. But let’s think about today: how many of our current hero-like figures, many of whom we obsessively watch as they glide between scandal, drugs, and tons of money, can we say are truly heroes?  

Our world certainly isn’t devoid of good people who we would do well to emulate, but regretfully, such people are mostly forgotten about. The reason for this, is that our society has drifted into the path of least resistance: as a whole we have begun to value–as shown through our actions, if not our words–entertainment over education, comfort over courage, popularity over morality, and a life of ease over a life of meaning.  The clearest proof of this lies simply in where we spend our time; in who we focus on.

Although we may be unaccustomed to admitting so, our heroes are broken.  Our societal focus is misplaced. But like a man who watches fast food commercials while trying to eat healthier, surely we can do better.  We need better heroes.

Think of William Wilberforce, for example: he dedicated his life, health, and reputation to the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.  Despite failing in Parliament year after year, he never gave up. Consequently, millions of men, women, and children were given the freedom they deserve.

Think of Mother Teresa: devoting her life to God at an early age, she made her purpose to care for, in her words,  “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.”

And think of Helmuth Hubener, the boy who was one of the greatest heroes of all time: Helmuth lived his tragically short life in Nazi Germany, but despite being forced into Hitler Youth, he retained his belief in freedom.  Against impossible odds, he defied the evil, fear, and complacency around him by secretly writing, printing, and distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets with the help of some close friends. He was only sixteen years old when the Gestapo tortured, and then beheaded him.  Like Wilberforce and Mother Teresa, he gave his life for something greater–and more important–than himself.

Are these not the type of people we should be idolizing?  Do we not need the determination of Wilberforce, the compassion of Mother Teresa, and the courage of Hubener?  Do we not wish that the world was full of people like them? Are they not more worthy of our praise and admiration than most of the people today who we call famous?

Human nature is still as strong as it has always been, but despite the path that society is drifting into, I believe that in their heart of hearts, people still wish for a world where lasting happiness abounds; where virtue and honor guide our actions; where our dealings with each other are filled with integrity and love; where we determinedly work to better our lives and conditions.

That is what I wish for.  If you wish for this too, then let us put our focus on the people already living this way: people who will show us the path to a better world, and inspire us as we make the journey.  Let us change our heroes, and we will change in turn.

The heroes that we need are not distant or unreachable: they are the good people all around us.  People who have strength of character, of body, and of mind. People who live with purpose, accomplishing much and helping others whenever they can.  We can find these heroes in our homes, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our communities, in our stories, and in our history books.

Our first task in making a better world is to find the good already in place, cherish it, focus on it, and seek to emulate it.  By doing so, we will begin to become who we truly wish to be. And what is of greater value to us than that?  

So the next time your world is ablaze with updates about a super popular celebrity, movie star, or athlete, pause.  Think instead of a James Hassell, or a Mother Teresa, and shift your focus to those who are worthy of it. You will become better for doing so.