Heroism, its price, and why the world will always need it

Heroism has a price to pay. Without that price, or the real risk of paying it, there is no hero. There is no 'hero story'. There's no heroism.

If you're on a long and painful journey which means something to you. Something that feels inspiring, or perhaps "heroic" in the true sense of the word. All you can hope for is that somehow you go unscathed. That somehow you beat all the odds. That somehow you get all the glory, without ever having to actually pay that price. Because "the real price" of heroism isn't some sort of mild inconvenience. It is often life itself, in one way or the other.

In a true hero story, there's this constant (and real) risk of the hero suddenly turning into a martyr. One slight slip, and that's the end of the story (atleast for him). All he can hope for is that that knife doesn't touch him, that bullet somehow misses. That explosion happens fifteen seconds too early, or five seconds too late. A real hero is always living on a prayer. Until he isn't.

And this is exactly what makes it so great and admirable. This isthe stuff that makes heroes immortal. They evaluate the risk. It's far too great. But they still take it anyway. And live with it.

Unfortunately, the problem is that many heroes are often recognised a bit too late. Their risk, their bravado, their intentions and their fights - are all appreciated long after they're gone. After their risk has finally caught up with them. After they're no longer heroes, but martyrs. Sometimes, they're lucky. Sometimes they get the glory while their alive. They become famous, even worshipped for their grit, guts and grandeur. But so what? All that could end at any strange moment in time. The next attack will be even worse. They know it.

The question then is why should we strive to be heroes? Why should anyone take such risks? Is there any reason why something as irrational as "heroism" should even be pursued?

The answer lies in the fact that the world itself moves forward ONLY because of such people. Progress has never been the work of the cautious majority. It has always been driven by the "rare few". People who're stupid enough to take troubles most would happily avoid as they went on with their lives.

Every advance we enjoy today: Our freedoms, our comforts, our certainties. It was once balanced on the edge of someone’s gamble. A soldier who stood his ground, a thinker who refused silence, a dissenter who challenged power. These people weren’t blind to the risk. They carried it openly. Because that's what moved the world.

This is the paradox of heroism. The risk is private, but the reward is public. The hero pays, but the world collects. His courage is his own, but its consequences are spread outward into the lives of countless strangers. Some who might never even know his name.

And this is why, despite all logic (or the lack of it), humanity still produces heroes, and always will. Because without them, everything stalls.

For all the heroes taking the fight, thank you.

The price of heroism

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