In 2020, my family and I watched the entire Marvel Avenger series together. All inappropriate parenting decisions aside, it was fantastic, and it taught me a few things about being a hero.
Focus on your strengths; they may come in more valuable than you realize.
Don’t underestimate the power of being quiet, but know when
it’s time to get loud.
Look out for cats.
And perhaps most importantly: It takes a lot of people to make Heroic acts possible. (Spoiler alert) No single Avenger could have ultimately defeated Thanos alone. All of them made sacrifices and contributed to the victory. Heroism is a team sport.
The past year has been an exercise in asking ordinary people to do heroic things every day, for weeks and months. To sacrifice and to persevere. To don masks, literally and figuratively, to protect each other and ourselves. To stay away from many of the things and people we love most for their good and our own.
Thankfully, we now seem to be emerging from the pandemic gloom, just a bit. There are still some heroic things to do. Stay vigilant. Get your vaccines. Encourage others to do the same. Trust science and facts and stamp out conspiracy theories and lies as the evil forces they are.
Hopefully, new, young leaders will emerge from the ashes of the current political conflagration. They will demonstrate qualities that make them worthy of Hero status.
As I was starting this piece, my older son was reading over my shoulder. I asked him if he currently had a favorite hero.
"Captain America," he answered without hesitation. "He's strong and brave and kind."
Now that's the kind of Hero we can all believe in.