I have realized, in reviewing my many favorite pieces of literature, that our culture has managed to completely and absolutely obliterate any semblance of heroism. Our media, our culture, and even our government have managed to circle like vultures around the identity of the hero. They have slowly picked him to pieces over five generations, and now in Generation Y or Z, we are left with nothing but fleeting moments of selflessness.

In reading Beowulf, Arthurian legends, Atlas Shrugged, and other books, epics, poems, etc, I’ve realized that in the last half century we have not allowed one person to ascend to the status of hero. Instead, we allow them fleeting moments in the spotlight, before we denigrate their achievement, question their motives, or sully their history. Even in traditional folklore, heroes (or heroines) are allowed their personal flaws, and often their greatest moment comes in the overcoming of that fatal weakness. They set a standard for the culture by whom they were worshipped, even in their failing. They are examples of determination, courage, pride, strength, and self-understanding. They fought impossible odds, and sometimes succeeded, and other times were laid low. But we don’t have even that story any longer.

How have we lost this valuable portion of human tradition in our post modern society?

Our Media has refused to respect the individual. Every person, event, or place has become another dollar sign to the news agnecies of this period. They care little for the story or its people, only that it sells. Sensational stories, weird stories, disturbing stories, earn the dollar for their magazines or print. We hear about the Fundamental Latter Day Saints and their Temple, about Britney Spears in rehab, about protests of the Olympics. Global warming, international terror, economic recession, and local murders hog the spotlight. We are left better educated, better informed, and completely uninspired.

Culturally we have been taught to accept everything around us, to not question the viewpoints, opinions, or beliefs of others. To do so would be insensitive and offensive. We can’t make a slip up in a blog post, or in an interview, or in a speech. Everything is monitored and reported. Our society wants us to be a nice neutral tone of grey. Nothing too unique or individual. Monotony, PC, and the almighty beige are what we strive for. Our art imitates the past, recreates the present, but presses nowhere. Our music “samples”, “borrows”, and outright steals from more creative ilk. We do nothing new, imagine nothing special, and are fearful of doing either.

And the government is perhaps the worst offender of all. We see bureaucratic purges more severe then the previous with each new “elected” government. Our statesman and politicians strive above all to be polished, refined, well spoken, and bland. They cannot tell us their own opinions, without firing their speech writers. They dare not present a different view point then their fellow candidates, for fear of missing some portion of the electorate. We discourage fair representation with our two party system and give only two outlets for hundreds of millions of people. Third parties have, at best, served to hand the reins of power to one of our two Twin Towers. Other countries see open debate, heated arguments, and honest exchanges about policy and opinion. And we have the mud slinging of our election cycle. Slips of the tongue, email circulations, and stupid hick husbands determine absolutely nothing, but decide everything.

What have we lost in destroying the figure of the hero?
The ability to dream. Perfection is always worth striving for, but we seek so much exposure that we are not allowed to forget for a moment that it is an impossibility.
The ability to change. Heroes are leaders, offering differing viewpoints, unique opinions, and a hard headed arrogance to carry it through. We don’t remember people who led the change anymore. Simply those who have best repeated the past.
The ability to challenge. We don’t have courage enough to stand for anything. We are so crippled by our pasts, by the chance to make a mistake, the fear of ridicule on a local/national/global scale that we can’t make a meaningful fight for anything. It cripples the spine and weakens the heart.
The ability set a standard. Heroes define societies, traditions, and momentous occasions. Their behavior is a way of living to be pursued. Without them, we have simply joined the rat race, regurgitating, repeating.

I miss the heroes we have never had.

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Joel and I were saying how we both think that human cloning is a good idea for several reasons. I believe that the human race will grow stronger, smarter and more capable with human cloning. Recently there was a scientific discovery, which showed that “generosity” is in fact a gene. That is, people who posses this gene will be more generous and giving than people who don’t posses this gene. Obviously the environment you grew up in will affect that gene as well. For example if someone possesses that gene and grew up in the West Bank or was a Jew during the Nazi regime, where his possessions are being taken and destroyed on a daily basis then chances are that person, who does posses that gene may not be as generous because he had been taught to protect and collect his personal belongings. At the same time, someone who does not possess that gene, but grew up in an environment where his parents where generous people who helped others then chances are that person will be somewhat generous as well. However the point is that when generosity is a gene, and someone possesses it then chances are that person will be more giving than a person who doesn’t posses it. Now you may ask what is the purpose of this? Well, this illustrates that most likely, many human traits are in fact genes that are passed down to us from our parents and ancestors. Traits such as jealousy, anger, hate, happiness, depression etc. Now, please keep in mind that I am over simplifying things, but what if it was possible to remove these “bad” genes with human cloning. What if we were capable of removing hate, anger and other negative traits of human beings in our future generations? Our history has shown us that the reason that humans have killed each other in millions throughout history has been because of ignorance, hate and greed. Now you may say that greed has served us well so far. It has advanced our medicine, science and many other fields. I would agree with that but the fact remains that it has been “personal greed” that has advanced our society. People’s personal greed has forced them to advance in something, create something or discover something in order to benefit from that discovery or creation whether financially, emotionally or physically. You may think well there is nothing wrong with this, if someone invents something that benefits society then he should benefit from it as well. Well that is true, he should and there is nothing wrong with that but what happens when someone like Alfred Nobel invents the dynamite. Alfred Nobel had personal greed and wanted to become wealthy, he was a brilliant scientist and managed to become a millionaire in his time by inventing the dynamite. He definitely benefited from inventing the dynamite, but did our society in general or the human race? Personal greed makes people invent bigger, stronger and more effective weapons, which is used to kill thousands of people on a daily basis. Traits such as anger, jealousy, hate and greed is the main reason for crime in a society and on a larger scale, genocide and war. Now what if personal greed was replaced with “collective greed”? That is, the human race realizes that if we join forces and strive for the improvement and advancement of the human race then everyone is a winner. What if Alfred Nobel had collective greed? What would he have invented?

Perhaps with human cloning, we can create smarter and more capable humans that realize that our world today needs some dramatic changes to it. If negative traits are removed from humans then there is no need to spend all this energy, time and money on our armies and our defense. Because we no longer hate or fear our neighbor and realize that he is just another human being like the rest of us no matter race, religion or sexual orientation.

Even if we can’t “erase” the bad traits with human cloning we sure can create smarter and stronger humans. This in turn will naturally erase ignorance, hate and fear from people. I don’t think there is a single parent out there who wouldn’t wish to have the “perfect child”. You are basically taking the best genes from both partners and creating a “superbaby.” This is the equivalent of having the mother give birth one million times and one of them would perhaps be born with these super qualities. I don’t see anything wrong with giving nature a helping hand in order to advance the human race.

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