What Does Hero Mean? - Essay Sample

Introduction

A hero is an individual who will go the extra mile in times of adversity to ensure that he helps the aggrieved party. Firstly, a hero should be authentic self. Self-authentic can be described as the action of one not pursuing his personal interest and goals. One strives to seek and achieve the objectives of the alternatives. It's not because one is obligated to serve the interest of others but because he is of service to the people. One gets great satisfaction from helping other people. For one to be self-authentic you have to be aware of your surroundings. If a natural disaster like hurricane Katrina affects the nation, an individual can decide to help those who are affected without being asked. You are aware that people are suffering and that inner voice makes you go and help them no matter the risk. One does not help other people for recognition but through the kindness of their heart. One such person is Mahatma Gandhi. Despite the fact that Indians were facing racial prejudice in South Africa from the British he still helped them. During the British war with the Boers, there was much British causality. He saw they needed medical attention and he organized for more than hundred Indians to help them. Nobody forced Gandhi to help them but he saw it in his heart to help them.

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Compassionate is another quality that is observed by a hero. Being compassionate entails showing sympathy or concern for others. Human beings are constantly faced with hardships in their daily lives. It's only prudent to have concern for others when they are faced with these hardships. Mahatma Gandhi my hero showed compassionate in many different ways in his lifetime. One day while on board a train he lost his one shoe which fell onto the tracks. He removed the other shoe and also threw it to the track. A man who was observing him asked him why he had thrown his other shoe to the track. He replied that he imagined a person who will find the other shoe will be disappointed not to find its match thus he was saving him all that trouble by throwing the matching shoe to the track. This action by Mahatma Gandhi shows how the vision that a person will be needing his shoe before even it happen. He really cared about people.

Another quality that a hero should possess is courage. A heroin pursuing justice for others should continue this fight even if he is faced with challenges that will otherwise interfere with his efforts. Courage is displayed when he continues to fight. Mahatma Gandhi was courageous as he protested against the brutal tax system and also he was engaged in many protests against the British rule in India. Because he was a man full of courage he was able to inspire lots of people all around the world.

Wise is another quality heroes possess. Being wise basically entails having the ability to discern what is good and what is right. This helps you make sound decisions for yourself and for others. The wisest person known on earth is said to have been King Solomon who the Bible records to have amazed the world with his knowledge. Mahatma Gandhi my hero was a very wise person. He knew the difference between right and wrong. During his lifetime he used and advocated for nonviolence in looking for independence for India from the British colonial government. All the protests he participated in he advocated for nonviolence. He knew that violence was in itself a barbaric way of resolving conflicts and there were other means that can be used to achieve the same results.

A hero should be a selfless person. Selfness is the ability to mind so much about the welfare of other people than your own welfare. This is basically what makes people become a hero since they act in favor of other people rather than their own. Mahatma Gandhi my hero was a selfless person. All throughout his lifetime, his actions were centered on helping other people who were faced with hardships. Mahatma Gandhi helped India to attain independence from the British colonial government. The British colonial government was oppressive to the people of India thus Mahatma Gandhi came to save the people from this rule. Mahatma Gandhi used to collect money from the rich on behalf of the poor. He said that since everybody was greedy him he wanted to be greedy for the sake of the poor.

Simplicity is another quality hero and heroines have in them. Mahatma Gandhi was a very simple man. He was a lawyer who used to wear clothes made out of cotton. He always put himself as a poor man. He used to never eat a lot and had a very simple diet mainly composed of vegetables and fruits. Most times he would miss out on meals but did not complain even once. Mahatma Gandhi never wanted people to treat him differently than they treat other persons.

Another key trait a hero has is of integrity. A hero should be able, to tell the truth even when that truth will have a negative impact or cause embarrassment.

Works Cited

Barnabas, Annette and Clifford, Paul. Mahatma Gandhi- An Indian model of servant leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies.2012.Print.