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Our Heroes Are Human Too:

The Human Condition, Grace, And Exhortation | Insight 47


Some say it's better to “never meet your heroes,” but I don’t believe that's true. 


I argue it's better to meet them, but remember that they are human too.


No man is God; that is why he is a man. “Human” may be my favorite word, but it's also our condition. Our diagnosis. It’s not a disease, malady, or cancer, and surely not a cure or ointment.


The Human Condition is just that, a condition, and we choose what to do with it.


It is not wrong to have heroes or to want to meet those who have played a role in our development, but we should never lose sight of the fact that our heroes have closets too… and yes, sometimes they might have a skeleton or two.



Numerous examples of this can be found within the historical record. Many cultures revered painters, musicians, and celebrities have their muddy pasts.


  • Caravaggio murdered a man in a street fight on May 29, 1606.

  • Thomas Jefferson preached Anti Slavery while keeping slaves himself.

  • Picasso was a misogynist and womanizer.

  • Robert Downey Jr. (A literal superhero) experienced a period of drug and alcohol abuse.


This list could go on, but the intent is not to expose every hero's dirty laundry or tarnish their reputations. However, it is essential to realize that our naivety can cost us our clarity if we are not careful.


If we allow our Love for someone to blind us to the truth that they are still human, we might lose ourselves in the flashing lights of their message and marketing, while forgetting that they, too, don’t have it all together, that they are just as much human as we are.


I myself have had great heroes fall prey to the diseases of hypocrisy, pride, money, prestige, or other vices before my very eyes. Good mentors whose messages were honest and trustworthy, but whose character did not always align with their words. Sometimes it was their past that came to haunt them, or a bad habit that came around knocking.


But regardless, does this suddenly take away their message's merit? Did everything they live for now mean nothing?


I argue no. We all should have the ability to love the art while not always loving the artist, remembering that legends are mortals too.


This message is not intended to be disheartening but rather illuminating and inviting. It should prompt us to ask: What heroes are we holding on to too tightly? Who have we set high on a pedestal, thinking they are “all that” when realistically they're not?


And better yet, it’s true sometimes people don’t turn out to be who we thought they were going to be, but this should make us question: Are we even who we claim to be?


You likely don’t realize it, but there's a high chance you're a hero to someone in your life. 


It might be easy to identify who, if you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, mentor, etc, but that's not where the line ends. You have the potential to act in heroic ways and be special for someone in your close circle, at work, or in a group you are a part of. Sometimes you might just never know.


But if our “heroes” are humans, too, and “we” are humans, then we also have the potential to be heroes! (Stop and think about that one for a moment.)


This should make us more careful about what we do; someone might be looking up to us, and we wouldn’t have the slightest clue. (A reason to always live on mission, with purpose and intention in writing a story that's worth telling.)


We are all on this journey to becoming our better and best selves, and it is those very scratches and bruises from the falls along the way that make us stronger. These moments of getting back up are the pivotal points of transformation that lead to improvement. 


That said, the very same grace we should be giving ourselves after a fall should be given to our heroes when they stumble, too. If this grace isn't abundant, perhaps this is an invitation to consider a bit more comparison for both yourself and others. Don’t be your own worst enemy, and don’t make an enemy of someone else due to an error you have trouble forgiving.


Is this grace difficult to feel? Difficult to give?


Yes, but the Human Condition is just that, a condition, and we choose what to do with it.


—


Some people may not turn out to be who you thought they were. That's ok, just a part of life. Before this happens, it's helpful to reassess who's on your pedestals and knock 'em down a couple of tiers. We must be careful with who we keep at the top of our pyramids, and should approach our heroes with grace, filtering their actions with compassion and clarity.


This very same sentiment should cause us to stop in our tracks, scratch our heads for a moment, and ask ourselves if we are becoming who we profess to be. We might never know the effect our words or actions could have on someone else. We can't see the cape when it's on our backs.


Society and culture do a fine job of creating a hierarchy of popularity that we are quick to confuse with worth, but note that popularity has never equated to value. Therefore, if there is nothing “extra” special about them, just as there is nothing “extra” special about us, then we all, at a basic level, have the capacity, the potential, to become heroes too.


Your greatest heroes are human, just like you. 


You don’t need to change the world to change someone's world.


- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta


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