tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post7463068494967181182..comments2024-01-23T17:14:04.067-05:00Comments on Jaltcoh: Should kids have heroes?John Althouse Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-24087082779391609872010-02-23T22:34:32.594-05:002010-02-23T22:34:32.594-05:00A sports star may work hard and push through barri...<i>A sports star may work hard and push through barriers and succeed, but they really are not at all heroic.<br /><br /></i>True. To be accomplished is not heroic.<br /><br />If we happen to know someone heroic, they're probably someone who's done something heroic for us, and they're someone we love for it.Jason (the commenter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16045360562791361484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-52240472130361352422010-02-23T14:44:09.576-05:002010-02-23T14:44:09.576-05:00I think it matters what a person means by "he...I think it matters what a person means by "hero."<br /><br />I never did much get sports, but I'd think that admiring a sports star (not hero) ought to be about having them as an example of hard work, dedication, and success... in relationship to the sport. <br /><br />I can't imagine encouraging my children to prop up people as heroes. Not Tiger. Not Mylie Cyrus. Not anyone like that. Not even me or their dad. What I would want them to do is to learn to identify what is admirable and understand that no one is perfect and to have compassion toward the imperfections.<br /><br />I think it's probably more important how we deal with the flaws and how well we understand that we aren't perfect or always right either.<br /><br />As for actual heroes. Heroes aren't perfect people or even close to perfect people. They are most likely deeply flawed people who found the courage or fortitude to do a heroic thing.<br /><br />I wrote a post on my blog (it's just a couple down) about something I thought was the epitome of heroism. The men I was writing about might be good men, or they might be abusive, or bigoted, or otherwise bums. That shouldn't take away in the least from them being heroes. I think that a heroic act, at the heart of it, is something done because a person feels they must put aside what they'd rather do and do it. <br /><br />A sports star may work hard and push through barriers and succeed, but they really are not at all heroic.Synovahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01311191981918160095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-79935802705209127412010-02-23T12:22:29.208-05:002010-02-23T12:22:29.208-05:00I think it is very valuable for children to have h...I think it is very valuable for children to have heroes. And if the hero fails them, that is a good thing. There is a similar situation with pets, children have them to learn about death. Some pain happens to the child, but they have their parents who love them there to help them through it. Considering the painful lessons life has to teach us, I think this is a blessing.Jason (the commenter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16045360562791361484noreply@blogger.com