What is a Hero?

I once heard it said in a movie (Serenity) that a hero is a person who gets other people killed...

That's really funny and I hope no one actually takes that seriously. The dictionary says this about heros:

A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.

We have a habit of idealizing our heros. We see someone we want to emulate in every facet of their being and we elevate them to an almost god status in our lives. We did this with the rescuers of 9/11 and we've done this with the stars of American Idol.

But what about the hardened criminal who is hooked on drugs, raped his housekeeper and murdered his pastor? What if he were to be in the right place at the right time and saved a young boy from a raging fire? Would we consider him a hero or someone who just did something heroic?

I mention this extreme to point out a fact. Most heroes are just normal people that fill in the gray area of most people's minds. They are the moderate church goers or the guys who sleep in on Sundays. They may be mild alcoholics or they may just have a problem abstaining from sweets. They cheat on their taxes and they'll accept free cable if no one will be hurt. They're normal sinners (bring some Christianity back into it) but they are in the right place at the right time to do something heroic.

Or are they that normal? I mean, would you jump into a flaming house to save a child or even an elderly person? Or would you just cry for help or call the fire department? What is that inner spark that makes some "normal" people that are not necessarily good or bad people become extraordinary people in the heat of crisis?

I say this after reading the following article. I know nothing about this couple. I don't know if they were Christians or Muslims, swingers (look it up) or monogamous or any of the other traits listed above. What I do know is that in the end, in my eyes...they were heroes.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A couple found a man raping a young woman in their driveway and tried to flee with her but were shot to death by the attacker, police said.

The teenager was also shot and was expected to recover, police said. A suspect was arrested.

The couple came upon the attack when returning to their home in the Fern Rock neighborhood from a night out late Wednesday, police said.

The 18-year-old woman broke free and began screaming about the assault, and she and the couple then fled while the attacker fired at them with a semiautomatic handgun, according to police.

The three tried to hide nearby, but the assailant found them and fired more shots as they lay on the ground, Chief Inspector Joseph Fox said.

Link
------------------
Good Samaritans slain while interrupting attack, police say