tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post7495610192358565717..comments2024-03-29T04:25:43.984-05:00Comments on <center>Becoming SuperMommy</center>: HeroesBecoming Supermommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590343072778694123noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-24377743652134689502010-12-19T16:46:34.603-06:002010-12-19T16:46:34.603-06:00Being 53 years old probably makes a big difference...Being 53 years old probably makes a big difference in how I see heroes. I no longer expect anything approaching perfection, but instead will settle for A) some aspect of them that I find heroic, and B) nothing about them so horrible that I can't bring myself to call them heroes. By that reduced standard, I have plenty of heroes. <br /><br />For example, my newest hero is Julian Assange, because I consider his work with Wikileaks heroic and because I simply don't believe the nastier charges against him. Similarly, I consider Steve Jobs a hero because of his relentless devotion to excellence in technology design, despite the fact that I view as deeply wrong-headed his antipathy to open systems. <br /><br />A hero is someone who is deeply admirable in at least one regard. If there were really someone that admirable in every regard, I would call him not a hero, but a god.Nathaniel Borensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03232212556909107350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-20382250238927671122010-12-19T12:35:02.853-06:002010-12-19T12:35:02.853-06:00I understand the lack of a universal hero, but, pe...I understand the lack of a universal hero, but, perhaps universal heroes can only live when the person behind them has died. Real people are always fractured and complicated. <br /><br />A few years ago I realized that not only are none of my heroes alive but none of them were ever real. All the ideals and strengths that I tried to model myself after came from books and fictional characters. Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved; Tanis, half-elven; Edmond Dantes; Don Quixote; Huma; Jonathan Livingston Seagull; Taran, the assistant pig-keeper; Santiago, the shepherd... all fictional and most fractured. <br /><br />For 25 years this was more than enough for me, but, I started looking for someone in real life to be my hero. I found a few people around me that I wanted to be more like, inspiring friends.<br /><br />Let their hero's be long gone, let them be immortal, and let them be personal and I'm sure it will be all right.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15784706550793713732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-46871596871239440502010-12-19T12:24:25.769-06:002010-12-19T12:24:25.769-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15784706550793713732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-24749178280663408932010-12-12T02:58:28.786-06:002010-12-12T02:58:28.786-06:00Perfection is bad! People are not perfect; each pe...Perfection is bad! People are not perfect; each person is a set of compromises. We gain wisdom based on mistakes and persistence. Love other people as the humans they are, not the beacons you could imagine them to be. Choose achievable goals, not hopeless ideals.<br /><br />And our heroes do not need to be world famous, any more than our spouses do. -I- know why they're my heroes. I can talk about them with other people who know them, and they'll understand. I can summarize: I like artistic teachers. Teachers of art, math, music, who love their jobs. A friend said "I want to be Lowry Burgess when I grow up!" and I understood and agreed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-47645342803658631452010-12-11T08:54:52.667-06:002010-12-11T08:54:52.667-06:00Sage- this is precisely what I mean! The heroes o...Sage- this is precisely what I mean! The heroes out there are NOT well known. They are NOT universal. In previous generations, heroes could be shared by nearly an entire class of children, now we each search endlessly for our own personal heroes, and generally find them flawed, and not until we've reached an age to seek them out. When we are past their need.<br /><br />My greatest hero is Calvin Coolidge. I have so much pity and respect for that man, and aspire to accomplish even a fraction of what he did, only without the whole horrific failure and destruction at the end. Some day I might write a novel about him...<br /><br />At any rate, what I'm particularly lamenting is the lack of a universal hero. A hero where you can say their name to the other children, and while they might not completely agree, they know who you're talking about and understand the appeal.<br /><br />If I had said "Ralph Nader is my hero" at age eight, I think the other kids would have thought I was crazy. Not that they didn't already...Becoming Supermommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04590343072778694123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-6502809290281258482010-12-10T23:47:57.669-06:002010-12-10T23:47:57.669-06:00Noam Chomsky.
Oprah?
Poor, poor Ralph Nader.
There...Noam Chomsky.<br />Oprah?<br />Poor, poor Ralph Nader.<br />There are a lot of heroes out there, but they are not so well-known. There are a lot of scientists, philosophers and yogis on my hero list, and Bruce Cockburn, of course. They're not exactly pop-culture faves.<br /><br />Heroes don't get a lot of play, unless they also have scandal. There are not many heroes with scandal. And also, everyone is scrutinized so much, nothing is sacred. Every lie you've ever told will somehow make it's way to twitter. There's more truthiness these days.<br />Speaking of,<br />Steven Colbert is definitely one of my heroes.<br /><br />I am so, so tired. Does this make sense? Where am I? Loooove yooooous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989017208846872303.post-75348095231540434522010-12-10T17:54:28.239-06:002010-12-10T17:54:28.239-06:00Jim Henson was my hero as a child. Then I got olde...Jim Henson was my hero as a child. Then I got older, and various teachers became my heroes. I'm still meeting heroes today.<br /><br />My heroes were not dead; they were real people I could see, that I admired and wanted to be like. They're not perfect, which is an important part of their charm. They love to work, and are happy to find and fix their own mistakes.<br /><br />Jim Henson has now died, but I still study his work. I appreciate him More now that I'm old enough to see the flaws, the complex decisions and compromises.<br /><br />Your children will find their own heroes. I hope you do as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com