Hero? What's that?

[Tiaiel]

Once upon a time, I said, that heros don't need to kill somebody to be heros. Actually I think, that the `better´ hero is the one who doesnt't kill at all, but the answer I got was like this:

Actually heroes kill all the time. Its what makes them the good guys, they kill the bad guys.

[from Rei]

I just don't realy think, that it this is true. I can only think killing as something evil. It is also true, that there are very very extraordinary reasons to kill someone, in example the final step of selfdefense or what the police sometimes does, when it comes to a dangerous situation in a kidnapping. In germany we call it "Finaler-Rettungs-Schuss" which means as much as final rescue shot.
Anyway, I want you to tell me, what you think a hero does.

[Rowan]

A hero is anyone that takes the burdens of others upon him or her self.

It might be feeding and clothing the poor at the cost of their own quality of life or rushing into a burning building or going off to fight in a war or being the one to kill someone so that nobody else has to lose their innocence. It might be providing safety and security as a LEO or being a Paramedic.

We all define heroes in our own ways, but I think you'll find that most definitions share that common thread.

[Mitera Nikkou]

A hero fills a stomach. ;p

*Rimshot*

Anyway, to be serious, I think a hero is someone that is willing to make sacrifices for other people. However, not to the point that they throw away their lives on every occasion. A hero would do their best to remain alive to help another day; they should only sacrifice their lives for many people, whether at present and/or for a future effect, and not for a few (anywhere for one or a handful).

Helping one and all are equally important, but the larger picture is even more significant. A hero doesn't go on crusades to impose and practice their beliefs on others and are not self-righteous and noble; they are, however, focused on protecting people's freedom from injustices, both small and large, to ensure that less people commit acts against themselves without consent.

That's about it, really. While anyone can be a hero, a real hero only arrives when they are available and needed, and afterward they feel self-satisfaction for their work rather than for whatever praise that they may receive. A hero doesn't stick around so people become dependent on them. Other people need room to be inspired to become heroes as well.

[Beyond]

Wow wikipedia, you left nothing for my imagination.

[Queen Octavia]

Anyone who willingly eats inferior foods such as potatoes for the good of the economy is a true hero, *tips hat*

[Anamnesis]

Nothing but a word.
A word without meaning.

[Raleigh]

A tip of my hat to the choices. Inventors do come close to being heroes, but they ultimately can cause more harm than good, just look at the printing press. A great invention and one I couldn't live without, but the fallout of that creation is still going on to this day. I still have to say that heroes are still the ones that put the bad guys down.

[Anamnesis]

Good and evil are too relative....
Which brings me to my next point: 'Good' and 'Evil,' as well as 'Hero' or 'Villain,' are words that are based on relative abstractions; they are based solely on opinion, and have no place in the world. Without a solid FACT, they hold no meaning for people who wish to understand the world about them.

[Raleigh]

Both true points Sullen as we all know there is no such thing as good and evil unless religion is involved. Still, I find it easy to say that villians would be people akin to the Nazi's and heroes to those who faught them at every turn, namely those that died to take the beaches and those that sabatoged things from inside. Facts, however, are as illusionary as truth, justice and civilized behavior. Facts are as you percieve them, as are all things, there is nothing absolutely true nor is there anything absolutely false, only your perception of the item in question.

[Anamnesis]

Exactly. Actions always have a purpose; They are ALWAYS premeditated, though the times of which they are thought of vary tremendously. The Holocaust happened because one people genuinely believed that the other was the problem...

[Helel]

I'm going to be quick and incredibly unoriginal by saying creating things for the good of society is enough of a hero for me.

I bow my head to engineers everywhere. Lord help them with all the math and science they had to take, and what I'll eventually have to take. XD

[Chibi MitchellTF]

I'm going to go with a combination of two.

A Hero is someone who puts himself in the way of danger to protect the innocent. In addition to an ideal.

Putting oneself in danger for an ideal can be heroic, but I have to add a qualifier...

If the person's primary goal or ideal involves HARMING numerous innocents, then they are disqualified from becoming a hero.

That is put because sometimes people are willing to die for an ideal that cannot be considered just.

[AnimaVex]

Work for an ideal which is for the betterment of life. A hero is a person who stands out in a particular way due to his or her beliefs.

That's all.

[Anamnesis]

Again, 'just' as in 'justice' is relative. Religion can dictate who and what are 'bad' or 'evil,' as can others who are revered in social status or what-have-you...In some peoples' eyes, innocents are not innocent at all...And if you aren't innocent...

[AnimaVex]

Never said just. Besides, anyone who can promote a point which is for the betterment of the majority of the people should be considered a hero. And don't you dare go to the extreme, since we would be shooting off responses all year.