It Ain't Just a Sandwich

The word “hero” is one of the most over-used and abused words in the English language. Used to describe practically anything, it has come to mean almost nothing –  whatever the user wants it to mean.

Like the word “love.” 

Or “national security.”  

Or “terrorist.”

But for us, “hero,” or “heroism,” has a very particular meaning, arising as it does from the ethos of modern chivalry.

A heroic act is an action on behalf of an “other,” or to defend a moral cause or principle. It is an active attempt to right a wrong, correct an injustice, to protect an innocent from harm, or to otherwise make a positive change in the world, despite social or physical incentive to do otherwise.

There are four criteria for an action to qualify as heroic:

1.     It must be a VOLUNTARY act.

2.     It must benefit one or more people in need, or a community as a whole.

3.     It must involve RISK. There must be some potential cost, whether physical comfort or safety, economic status, or social stature.

4.     It must be done without any expectance of any gain, nor acceptance of reward thereafter. This includes material gain, but also power and/or position.

Why do some people act heroically while others do not?

Good question.

There are many obstacles to acting heroically, including conformity and group dynamics, social roles and expectations, obedience to authority, the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility.

But I think that you can build up your hero muscles the same way you build up your other muscles: by regular, systematic, progressive over-load. In the same way you can make physical fitness a “habit,” and a permanent part of a healthy lifestyle, you can also make “heroic action” a habit.

At the core of heroism is the ability to act decisively and independently, based on one’s own understanding of the circumstances and one’s own moral compass, without deference to either authority or society.

This very behavior is integral to the proper practice of the sword, and I believe can contribute substantially to making heroism the norm, rather than the exception – which is exactly what we must accomplish if we’re to have even the foggiest hope of tackling the staggering problems that currently confront us.

The sword is merely a key for unlocking the hero in your heart.

aac