Who wants to be a hero(ine)?

He·ro (·ine)  [heer-oh (-in)] 

–noun

"a (wo)man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities."

from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero> on Thu 05 Mar 09 07:33

 

In my experience, all the best stories have a hero(ine).

 

There are many different kinds of hero(ine), but for me, the best stories are those where they are someone I really admire and would love to be more like.

 

When I was younger I spent a lot of my time playing the role of some imaginary hero, in stories made up in my head.  Now I see my kids doing the same thing.

 

Why do we want to be hero(ine)s?

 

A common understanding/description of the core heroic quality is, "intentional sacrifice of personal gain for the betterment of others".

 

So it's hard to be a hero! 

 

But on the other hand, sacrificing the betterment of others for personal gain is hardly something to model our lives on.  The question is, are we willing to put in the hard graft, or are we happier only to find hero(in)es in other people on the big screen?