What is a Hero?

Martin Luther King Jr. says: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Just because Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream doesn’t mean that other people can’t have one, too. True heroes have a dream, and change others as well. They need to have very special qualities like Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Mr. Schulz. In my eyes, heroes are not arrogant, cruel, and hateful; instead they have many great traits: selflessness, an intense passion, and relentless drive.

A true hero needs to have selflessness to put others before themselves. Right out of the gates of Heaven, Jesus is the BEST choice. He heals countless people, like the man with leprosy. Also, He raises people from the dead: Lazarus and the young girl in Israel.  He still healed them even knowing that the Pharisees were plotting to murder Him on the cross. This level of sacrifice certainly warrants hero status. 1 John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” My second hero, Oprah Winfrey, donates her own money to India to fight back against poverty. She founded a leadership academy for girls and young women in India to learn to live and survive by themselves. She put her own money on the line for these other people that she doesn’t even know. The way in which she gives of her money is quite incredible and charitable.  Last, Mr. Schulz is the best Bible teacher on the whole Earth, (not just the face, even the arms and legs). He is one of the most selfless people I know. He puts others before himself, oftentimes praying with them after school for their family problems. He tells them more about Jesus and what He does for us. These heroes are great examples of how to show selflessness toward other people. Rather than show hate toward anyone, my heroes choose to give of their time, energy, and well-being.

An amazing hero needs a passion for what they are going to achieve, and for what they are doing to help others. A little boy out of Atlanta, Georgia named Martin (a.k.a. Martin Luther King Jr.) changed this whole country. He spoke and he spoke to help countless black people have the same rights as the whites: not walking in the streets worrying about if they are going to get beaten. He sacrificed so much to save these people from these wrong doings of cruel humans. Next, Abraham Lincoln is the best president of the U.S.A. He freed thousands of slaves from demonic slave owners. Abe wrote many speeches: 75,000 Men, Divided House, Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address. Third, James Okina worked so hard to send other homeless people to go to school, and to get food. He is the best definition of passion because he himself was homeless, and was on the streets himself. It is a necessity for a hero to be passionate about what they are striving towards; or they won’t want to achieve it.

Several heroes need a drive to accomplish whatever they are doing. Once a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman saved many people. Later, she turned to a conductor of the famous Underground Railroad. Harriet has bought hundreds of slaves to the Union and were free. Also enslaved in Maryland, Frederick Douglass was famous for speaking all over the country. He influenced others to protest against slavery instead of sitting around saying, “I want slavery to end.” He was the Martin Luther King Jr. of the 1860’s, and started while he was 23. Last, Georgia Gilmore is not that famous. But, she baked pies and fried chicken for all of the protestors in Alabama. With that money, she funded the transportation for the bus boycott. She knew what she was going to achieve, and let nobody get in her way. If you do not have a drive for what you are doing, you will most likely not succeed at your goal.

Heroes need to have these three main traits: selflessness, enormous passion for what they are striving for, and a relentless drive for their achievement. In my opinion, a hero goes to extreme distances to help others. These people are all my heroes, and I’m sure they are other people’s heroes too!