No heroes anymore?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

History is littered with heroes. From the Dalai Lama and Ho Chi Minh to Nelson Mandela and Albert Einstein, societies have always placed someone on a pedestal. In today’s world, however, are heroes still relevant? If they are, just what kind of characters inspire us, and what do they tell us about ourselves as individuals or as a society?

When I was growing up, the world was a different place. People had faith in great figures and leaders, and a belief in a better tomorrow existed. Armed with an inspiring concept, a charismatic person could touch the hearts of millions. Certain people were catalysts for change, helping to overhaul the burgeoning weight of injustice or making a startling contribution to some or other field of human endeavour.

Over the last few decades though, the world has been demystified, and everything deconstructed, with each minute detail open to scrutiny. Even the great men and women of yesteryear have had the cold light of scepticism shed upon them, and many heroes were shown to have feet of clay. Gandhi, Churchill, Mother Theresa and others were noted by some, not so much for their achievements, but for their foibles and follies.

Need for vision

Marx and Lenin fell from grace as the Soviet Union imploded, and others had long ago been hauled from their self aggrandising pedestals. Mao built a personality cult around himself to try to disguise his tyranny, as did Hitler and Mussolini. In the long run, it didn’t help and had disastrous consequences.

Perhaps, we have now arrived at the point where idealism too often flounders on the rocks of cynicism and revered maxims and protagonists are too often cast aside. With heroes having had the myths surrounding them stripped bare and the big ideas, such as capitalism, communism and democracy, having seemingly failed or in deep crisis, some of us may well ponder if we have now become caged in the prison of modernity, what German sociologist Max Weber called the iron cage of bureaucracy. Do we now exist in an era where the prevailing order seems to be all there ever can be, with no hero about to rescue us? Perhaps we are destined to be led by bland bureaucrats lacking in vision or boldness.

While some might perceive this to be our fate, others still crave for visionaries and heroes. They want to believe that ‘big ideas’ can still electrify. But where are today’s heroes and grand visions? Hero-in-waiting Obama flattered to deceive, and figures such as Bill Gates and Julian Assange may occasionally demonstrate a flicker of heroism, righting wrongs and delivering us from evil, but that depends on your point of view.

Nowadays, it may at times seem a lot easier to create villains rather than heroes. It was done to great effect with Saddam and has been a successful tactic when used to demonise others as well. If you can’t produce a hero, invent an enemy. In recent years, cranking up the fear factor has become the default setting for capturing hearts and minds, with a compliant media in tow of course.

As for heroes, however, don’t despair. The media can help out here too. Turn on and tune in to self-styled messiah Simon Cowell, as he rules over his empire of franchised TV shows, celebrities and wannabes. With ‘Idol’, ‘X-Factor’ and a host of reality TV programmes dominating the networks, forget the clarion calls of politics or organised religion and buy into the messianic hysteria whipped up by instant fame TV. Acquire immediate salvation from the mundane with Cowell — the giver, the creator, the destroyer — the ultimate godhead for those seeking to enter the promised land of fame and riches and acquire their unique place in the pantheon of celebritydom.

Being a showbiz personality requires you to sell your soul to the media (and any number of sponsors). But that’s what it takes in a world of here today gone tomorrow shallow fame and junk materialism. While many people may not really need gods or inspiring leaders in their lives anymore, they still yearn to be spoonfed glitz-sprinkled icons and worship them on TV or in the pages of a glossy magazine.

Mediocrity rules

In a media-driven age, fame is just a marketing strategy away. With the right PR company, you can suck in those desperate to pay homage to something (anything!), so long as you mask your averageness by going gaga with a dress made from meat, or by indulging in some other outrageous ‘heroic’ act to shift attention away from your almost complete lack of talent.

People need to retain faith in something, even if it entails bowing down to individuals whose only attribute is their unending ability to parade their ordinariness and egos in the tabloids courtesy of the paparazzi.

As you sit watching TV, you may sometimes end up wondering just what has become of us when we allow such mediocre people to acquire this type of recognition. Perhaps it is an indictment of society’s own mediocrity, where difference and diversity have been crushed by numbing standardisation and where people accept the faith that this is how life should be lived, as they pray before the never-ending conveyor belt of disposable commodities and heroes to be fetishised, consumed, then spat out when they pass their very short sell by dates. It’s the secular theology of the age, built on flotsam and jetsam products, celebrities and fads that ebb and flow with the vagaries of mass titillation and the whims of corporate backers.

And, let’s not forget the Forbes rich-lister, movie star or multi-millionaire sportsperson too, whose wealth and extravagant spending are also to be glorified, at least according to much of the mainstream media. The heroes of entertainment or business are the epitome of all that is virtuous and true. Or, so they like to tell us. But surely, there are others more worthy of veneration.

Indeed, there are. It is not without good reason that Noam Chomsky was voted seventh in a list of ‘Heroes of our time’ in 2006 and the leading living public intellectual in another poll in 2005. And, despite the detractors and iconoclasts, many historical figures have actually left ongoing legacies that continue to inspire.

Writer Ramachandra Guha lists Bhimrao Ambedkar, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, M K Gandhi and many others in his anthology of brilliant individuals who made modern India. Their actions and ideals still act as a benchmark for people today.

While present day celebrities revel in their conspicuous display of wealth and the adoration of their fans, some may wish to take comfort in knowing that the spirit of the likes of Gandhi, Ambedkar, Martin Luther King and Mandela lives on in the millions of ordinary folk who demonstrate notions of justice, public service and social equity in their day to day activities. Such people often show immense courage and self sacrifice in pursuit of a greater good while working tirelessly for their communities, but few are thrust into the limelight, partly because their deeds just aren’t sexy enough to sell magazines or increase ratings.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been an enduring figure of resistance against brutal dictators, but tends to hit the mainstream headlines only after having been incarcerated or released from prison. And Amartya Sen did much good long before he became a beacon for democracy after being imprisoned by the Indian State. Countless others in India and beyond strive to achieve great things behind the scenes.

Luck, by chance

But, it can be unfair to single out individuals. Their achievements are often the product of dedicated teamwork and build on the efforts of others who went before. Enticing as it may be, the notion of events being shaped by the individual or hero acting alone (the ‘great man’ view of history) is highly partial.

Greatness is a fickle caller anyhow. People tend to act within circumstances not of their own choosing, which can either propel individuals to public eminence or leave them to live out their lives in relative obscurity, regardless of their valiant efforts and tangible impact. For example, Martin Luther King was in the right place at the right time in history that allowed him to shine. In another period, regardless of his excellent personal attributes, King may well have been consigned to live out his life, beavering away in the shadows.

The point being made is that true heroes are the ordinary people who do extraordinary things in the face of adversity every day. Events seldom conspire to place social workers, activists, fire fighters, nurses, educators and doctors in the spotlight. Nevertheless, they are committed to making a positive contribution to society and are in fact the foundations upon which communities are built. Such folk seek neither adoration nor undue reward.

Given their fortitude and commitment to public service, when all is said and done, is it not they who should really be regarded as genuine heroes of the age?

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