The word ‘Heroes’…

Apparently?

There is a decisive misunderstanding at just what this word means these days.

And it should be noted…

A singer who risks nothing and makes millions from his music?

Sorry, NOT a hero.

(Reuters) – President Barack Obama gave the United States’ top civilian honor on Tuesday to musician Bob Dylan [not a hero], novelist Toni Morrison [not a hero] and 11 other people he described as his heroes because of their powerful words, songs and actions. [...]

The president chooses the honorees. [And BAD ones!]

“So many of these people are my heroes individually,” Obama said during the ceremony, recalling how he read Morrison’s novel “Song of Solomon” as a young man when he was “not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think.”

“And I remember in college listening to Bob Dylan and my world opening up because he captured something about this country that was so vital,” he said. “Everybody on this stage has marked my life in profound ways.”

A pianist from the Marine Corps Band played Dylan’s 1963 hit “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” before the ceremony started. The musician drew loud applause when he received the award in sunglasses and without showing emotion.

When it came time for Morrison to accept her medal, the acclaimed novelist smiled and embraced the president.

Past recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom include former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger [hero], South African anti-apartheid leader and former President Nelson Mandela [hero], and slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr [hero]. [Read More]

But just what IS a hero?

And who, if not our Military men and women…

Deserve such an honor?

[via WP] [...] Chris Hayes.

His remarks Sunday night about the justification for Memorial Day and the use of the word “heroes” have been causing quite a stir.

“Why do I feel so uncomfortable about the word hero?” [regarding military men and women] Hayes asked, rhetorically. “I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect the memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism — you know, hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that.”

Bad enough that he used the phrase “rhetorically proximate” — unacceptable in any circumstances, unless you have, say, just awakened in the middle of a sociology seminar and want to avoid attracting attention to yourself. And never mind the flippant argument that it is never wise to bite the hand that gives you a three-day weekend. His comments seem to illustrate my First Law of Talking, which is that anyone given a microphone and enough time will make a potentially career-ending gaffe.

Hayes has already apologized — at least for playing into the stereotype of the clueless pundit of whom, as Iago quipped, “mere prattle without practice is all his soldiership.” But his comments raise a larger question.

We keep tossing the word “hero” around. It’s not just for Hercules, Achilles, and certain sandwiches any more. [...] [Read More]

Those in our Military get up, go to work…

Just like the rest of us.

However at THEIR job, they put their lives at risk, everyday, for OUR betterment and well-being.

And if that is not FAR more heroic than a catchy tune, or a well-turned phrase in a book…

“[T]he journey of the hero … I consider the pivotal myth that unites the spiritual adventure of ancient heroes with the modern search for meaning.

As always, the hero must venture forth from the world of common-sense consciousness into a realm of supernatural wonder.

There he encounters fabulous forces–demons and angels, dragons and helping spirits.

After a fierce battle he wins a decisive victory over the powers of darkness.

Then he returns from his mysterious adventure with the gift of knowledge or of fire, which he bestows on his fellow man.

“Whenever the social structure of the unconscious is dissolved, the individual has to take a heroic journey within to find new forms.

The biblical tradition, which provided the structuring myth for Western culture, is largely ineffective … So there must be a new quest.” …

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

~Joseph Campbell, interviewed by Sam Keen, in “Man & Myth: A Conversation with Joseph Campbell,” Psychology Today, July 1971

Honestly?

I don’t know what is.

Or?

What that says about society today, other than just…

*sadness*