Who is your hero?

A year or so ago I was working on this talk. In that talk, I was highlighting people I admired like Gandhi, MLK Jr., and Mother Teresa.  I feel like they were shining lights that pointed in the right direction. They are looked up to by most people in our global community.

One of the evaluators met with me and started saying very negative things about each of these people. She really didn’t like them. I know all of us are complex - we all have good, neutral, and bad parts of ourselves. None of us are perfect. Still, however, even with their challenges, quirks, and idiosyncrasies, I maintained that they were heroes.

She strongly disagreed. I then asked her "okay, who are your heroes?" She sat there stunned. Baffled. She thought and thought and thought. Then she looked up to me and said I don’t have any heroes. It was my turn to be stunned. I couldn’t believe it. I said you don’t admire anyone? She flatly said “no” and suggested I was naive for believing that humanity can have heroes. 

Here is how Wikipedia defines a hero:

A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake of glory and honor. Post-classical and modern heroes, on the other hand, perform great deeds or selfless acts for the common good instead of the classical goal of wealth, pride, and fame. The antonym of hero is villain.[1] Other terms associated with the concept of hero may include good guy or white hat.

I’m writing this post because I think it is important for us to have heroes. They are human like us, but somehow able to walk past the muck and free themselves from the shackles that capture most of us. They see beyond the immediate and share a vision of a much better future. They inspire, motivate us, and speak to our better angels. 

The following is a scale put together by an old writer called David Hawkins. He was attempting to create a scale of consciousness that helped to capture much of what has been written in the wisdom literature. People with higher levels of consciousness experience expanded awareness and inner peace, while those with lower levels may be navigating through various challenges and complexities.

There have been many criticisms of his thinking and this scale in general. I agree with many of them. To me, it isn’t important how he found these levels, but whether or not they are a directionally correct or helpful way of looking at human behavior. I think it is a helpful tool or guide for personal growth and development.

People that are in pain often feel like they are in the lower levels. I see trauma or distress or unresolved issues as weights that keep a person down. We want to float up like an air balloon and become stronger and more compassionate, but we have these sandbags on us that keep us down. When we heal, we cut those sandbags and find ourselves moving up the scale.

Pragmatically, I think it would be possible for us as a community (or even more broadly) to map public figures from throughout history and even now to this scale. I’d argue that a few of my heroes mentioned above (Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and MLK) would be near the top of the scale. And if enough of us voted, then I’d think we’d see people start to see votes cluster in certain areas.

Why am I focusing on heroes? I think heroes are an accessible way for us to understand the power compassionate people can have on the world. Hawkins would argue that the higher one goes up this scale, the more true they are or the more integrity they have, and therefore they have a bigger impact. Enlightened people like MLK didn’t have a big marketing or propaganda budget. His ideas had to stand or fall on the merits. And his ideas soared and caused a society to rally behind him.

Truth is durable, strong, inspirational, and unifying. Things that survive for a long time tend to be true. Lies have a short shelf life. They are fleeting, weak, draining, and cause division.

On this scale, it seems like the more humility one has (the less ego) the more one moves up the scale. This is an important distinction because many scales or lists emphasize people with the most money, power, or fame for example.

We understand that not everyone indeed has a clear-cut hero in their life. Maybe you haven't met someone who embodies what you admire, or maybe you haven’t identified a hero that could be a past, present, or historical figure. But that doesn't mean a hero doesn't exist for you! It just means that you might not have thought of them yet. Imagine your hero. What makes them stand out? Don't worry about finding them in the real world just yet. Just share what you can.

We need heroes now more than ever. It is a time for increased awareness and clarity. It is good and noble for us to find and champion heroes. They speak to us today and they show us a better path forward. 

I’d like to better understand our community’s heroes. I think they would tell us a lot about us. Please share any thoughts, ideas or recommendations below and here are some questions to consider to help us better understand your heroes. 

Who are your heroes? Can be personal (like friends or family), in the past (historical figures), present or even fictional.

Do you have a picture or video that you can share here?

Why do you admire them (1-3 sentences)?

Where would you put them on the above scale?