In search of a Hero
We are in a dire need for a hero. I have been searching one for myself for long. An article some Fridays back in the Star Weekend Magazine has reinforced that search to a great extent. I am firm and resolute. I will not sit still now until I find a hero. Not necessarily tall, dark and handsome; nor essentially bold, young and restless— he will only have to possess the passion/ splendor worth a hero . I am ready to discount heavily for the wanted one. If I can only discover the slightest glint of unadulterated heroism, I am ready to idolize him/ her for the rest of my life. Hence begins my quest for the hero of all seasons. Someone whose greatness will make him rise above the ordinary.
But heroes are extremely scarce; on top of that, you can never be satisfied with one hero these days, commented my best friend. It is the age of diversity, dude! Pluralism is the only mantra. Take the face of Michelangelo’s David, place it over the body of Brad Pitt, add the courage of Achilles and the compassion of Gautam Buddha, dress him in a fashionable summer suit from Armani’s; and for the premium twist, endow him with the wit of Mark Twain and the intelligence of Stephen Hawkins! Shake it well and serve it cool. Priceless, isn’t it? For everything else there is Master Card. Don’t forget to hand him that, too. As long as poverty doesn’t find its way to the museum, a poor hero might just fail to make a heroic impression.
See, what television has done to these people? However, I will not let my cynic friend (or anyone else, for that matter) daunt my determination. My search is still on.
My all time search companion Google has just disappointed me highly. The first item in the result is some Hercules Offshore Inc. Then there is a gateway to UK universities, one film, and a lot of other sites for a hip TV show called Heroes… mind you my reader… it is HEROES …Plural…
Classical heroes will not be a good choice. The out and out un-heroic setting of Bangladesh today won’t be a favorable ground for them to perform heroically. Achilles will have to constantly guard his ornamented shield from muggers. However, protecting it from them won’t be sufficient. The newly aware income tax people won’t let him be at peace. He will be charged for having gold shields without proper license, or riding horses without proper training. The newly alert police department might also get him by his heels and cast him behind bars for failing to show a plausible source of income. “My mother carved it for me” won’t be, as far as I think, a credible explanation. It could be different if it was his mother-in-law. Everybody in this country knows how behind every great riches exist the blessings of (one or more) great and generous parents-in-law. Achilles, adieu….you are not my hero.
Let’s now see, ladies and gentleman, if a screen hero can salvage us. I have quite a few choices. Let’s weigh them one by one. I hate spiders ... so spider-man is out. Don’t even ask me to consider Super-man; see, he cannot even hide his obnoxious underwear. Batman is not smart enough and X-men are not good enough. I was thinking of considering Mr. Harry Potter, but a friend told me how thinking about an underaged hero can really get me the label of a pedophile. Bourne has forgotten his identity, Neo has lost his world, Don is dead and Bond is out of circulation. Screen heroes are no good. So, Out! Out! you brief candle…
Now, as I turn to pick a hero out of the political leaders, the disappointment is even more intense. There cannot be any debate about the incompetence of our own Hasina-Khaleda. They are corrupt, selfish, phony and merely self-serving leaders. But these adjectives can be used unequivocally about other political leaders. Take for example George Bush or John Howard or Than Shew or Osama Bin Laden. Kofi Anan failed to maintain world-peace, so did Ghali, so will Ban Ki- moon. They cannot be my hero. They are not good enough. Or is it that I am too hard to please? I don’t think so. I just don't want to settle for less. After allI I am in search of a true hero.
It is an impossible search. I cannot idolize anybody. I don’t have any great footsteps to follow. Is true heroism really impossible in our times?
The Hero is DEAD. Long live the Hero.
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