Waiting for Heroes

A world carried upon his shoulders, he struggles to continue the fight. Ignoring the pain searing from his body, he continues to struggle to stand. Knowing that he cannot give up, that we need him to continue, he fights to his last breath, but what happens if he dies? Do all our heroes then disappear?

Switching on the news, all my bedtime stories are filled with the madness of the world. Families suffer tragedies. Criminals run wild. Demands for justice break the silence of the night. Will the heroes hear our call, or are they too distant to know that we still need them?

Waking each day, I am grateful for the normality that meets me outside, but I know somewhere in the world, lives are far from normal. Their lives are war-torn, scarred, and with each passing day, they must survive. I could never know what their lives are like being wrapped up in normality, and they could never know what it would be like to live a normal life. And I wonder. Will the heroes return to rescue them?

There are no heroes today except for those inside the comic books. We search around every corner, every stone, but they are no longer here. We never see them flying to the rescue, using their super powers to battle evil, and keeping the world safe with each passing day. The heroes have left, leaving us to take the world upon our own shoulders.

As we search for new idols, new role models, there are those that step up to the line. There are those that will face the odds of immense dangers. They will risk everything including themselves to carry the world higher, away from harm. They step up to the line, and that's where we see them, today's heroes. But just as they make their presence known, they disappear to be forever remembered or to return to the ordinary life until they are called upon once more.

So, who are we then to look up to? What icons, heroes, or even stars could we model ourselves after? Who will teach us how to be a hero? Who will walk us down the right path, filling our heart with truth, justice, and strength? Who will be our hero?