Hero. A word that undoubtedly conjures images of something from Marvel or D.C comics, maybe even a soldier charging into battle prepared to die for their country.

But being a hero isn’t something that only exists in fiction and it isn’t something only soldiers can become. Luckily, it’s better.

Being a hero means having a complete devotion to doing what’s right, and sometimes that doesn’t always mean following the rules.

Sometimes doing the right thing is messy and sometimes you’re all alone when you decide to break from a friend group and make your own decisions. Luckily, going against what is popular doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do.

From the minute we are born to the second we die, we all have unlimited potential for doing good things as well as bad, but we are also capable of doing nothing befitting either categories. 

The world is full of cynical people who believe that good people are just not real, and every person on the planet is garbage, only interested in their own gain. And while this is true for some people, the world also has a whole lot of good people looking out for everyone around them first and them self, last.

Proof one: in every emergency or natural disaster, look for those running towards the carnage. There are helpers everywhere.

Proof two: We all have people in our lives who are there for us. Who hold us accountable and keep us striving to be better versions of ourselves.

Everyone seems to think that being a hero takes being some kind of superpower, but it only takes doing things for others regardless of whether or not you benefit from it. Most examples of heroes, both in fiction and in reality, are depicted accomplishing incredible feats. 

Heroes don’t have to stop a world ending meteorite from colliding with Earth, or stop an enemy force from invading the country to be called heroes.

Stop thinking in terms of extremes. There are plenty of actions that can be done, daily even, that don’t require doing the impossible or risking your life.

There is always something you can do to make the world a tiny bit less of an awful place to live.

Whether it be donating blood or volunteering at a homeless shelter or a hospital, there is always something that can be done to help others.

There is so much suffering in the world that you can practically taste it in the air.

It’s sad, but most people in the world are perfectly content with living their lives on auto pilot and taking only the opportunities that come their way, ignoring the suffering of others and pretending like a life of mediocrity is what they wanted. And some people will claim that’s actually what they want, but we all know it for what it is, an excuse.

Once you accept there are problems, your ability to ignore them or live with them becomes more difficult. And the more you ignore them, the angrier you can become.

It’s time to step up. Drop that anger and focus. Where can you put your talents, and determination is a talent, to help the world? Or at least yourself and your friends? They need clean air too…

Past generations have poisoned the planet, but instead of pointing fingers and saying who did what, instead of wasting our time blaming others for the state of the world and doing nothing to change it, it’s our responsibility, as residents of the planet, to fix the mistakes of the past, instead of blaming others and pretending the problem doesn’t exist. 

People are usually fine being tied to the back of a horse and dragged through life without a say. But they lie.

If we, who will inherit the Earth, take the reins and work together to steer towards a better tomorrow, not only will the world be a better place, but we could set a wonderful, shining example for the next generation of what it means to be heroic.