Heroes

"Hero" is such a funny word. According to Princeton's website, it is probably derived from the name of the goddess Hera, and it means "protector" or "defender." As Hera was considered to be the guardian of marriage, it is not too unlikely that this possibility is correct.

What Princeton's website doesn't mention is that Hera was bitterly jealous, and that her own husband (Zeus) had multiple affairs with just about any female he laid eyes on. She is often portrayed as highly suspicious, with a tendency to set traps for her husband's flings to fall into. When sent into a rage, her fury threatens many innocents.

In this regard, perhaps the history of heroes is driven home even more. After all, heroes are still human, with humanistic flaws and desires and fears. Those who we perceive to be our knights in shining armor are probably every bit as scared of the dragon they face as you are. Courage is not the absence of fear, after all.

I used to hate the idea of being rescued. I used to scorn those who twittered about being saved and how afraid they were. But this week, I realized something: Everyone is a hero, and everyone needs rescuing sometimes.

When I was very young, I saved my sister from drowning. At the time, I didn't ever register what I was doing; we were in a wave pool, and she went under, and I just instinctively reached down and pulled her up out of the water. She came out coughing and crying; the lifeguards were utterly oblivious to the split seconds between her head sinking and my hand reaching after it, but we both remember the moment well.

Tonight, I approached a pit bull running wild, leashed him up, and took him home. The owners were so grateful; to me, it was simply a proper action. He was a very sweet dog.

Wednesday, I was caught between two boys whose anger was escalating. I was tucked away from the rest of the unit, trapped in the gym with six boys, all of whom were becoming agitated. And so I had to tuck away my hero complex and radio for help. It was incredibly hard for me to do, but I knew it was the right decision.

That night, I thanked the two who'd helped me out, apologizing for inconveniencing them, and one of them laughed.

"You weren't an inconvenience," he said with a smile. "You just needed a little help."