Show me your champion!

We as human beings have always looked to a hero to save us. Whenever we are faced with a challenge which cannot be solved with one simple action, we dream up a hero who is wiser, stronger, and more capable than we are.  And when we have granted them all the power we deep down wished we possess, we shroud them in mystery; claiming that no one knows who this person is but for some birth mark or sign in the heavens.  We transform our hero from a human like us to some supernatural being who will avenge us and put us back on the right path.  And while many may think this is purely the stuff of religions, fanatics, the confused, sci fi movies and novels, or the fantasies of the weak and bullied; let me tell you it happens every day, to all of us, at every level of society.  And it does not always take the form of a person.

In politics, we look to our leaders to make decisions on our behalf.  The economy is failing, we are out of work, we cannot feed ourselves, or send our children to school, our debts are mounting and we are unable to live the life we always dreamed of.  What do we do?  We blame everyone else but ourselves and, turn those same persons into the ones we think have to save us.  The government’s poor decisions are what resulted in no jobs,  but it is the government, represented by the politicians, and especially the head of the government and/or state, who is responsible for giving us jobs.  He/she/they have to manufacture out of thin air the money needed to stabilize the economy, because of course increasing taxes or any such measure which may ask of us a contribution to the effort is out of the question.  Something as small as a drain or community garbage bin has to be taken care of by the government.  The government in turn cannot do anything on its own.  We have problems with flooding due to climate change, let’s ask foreign agencies to come up with a project and fund the project to meet this challenge.  The list of examples one may find if one looks for them will astound the every day person.

Now I do not mean to say that some persons do not genuinely need assistance.  For some, this aid is what will allow them to take a step out of the cycle which has them trapped in their current disadvantaged position.  However, it is also undeniable that we as a species have always, and continue to depend on what we perceive as the greater abilities of foreign agents to solve our problems.  The down side of this is that we remain complacent, never growing or maturing, and we settle for mediocrity-whatever our savior says or does we accept.  I am also not throwing out religion and belief in God.  The belief in a higher being who has a plan and purpose for your life does not prevent you from living an empowered life on Earth.  All religions call their followers to strive for a better communion with themselves, their neighbors and with God.  To use the fruits of nature to live a good life right here in this earthly realm.

I firmly believe that we have the capacity to be our own heroes.  Yes we will need some assistance from time to time, for no one can truly function as an isolated unit.  However, if we look internally, evaluate what we posses, our capabilities and opportunities, and work on and with them, we may just surprise ourselves how far we will go.