No wealth like life

The adjective ‘heroic’ has been converted to a grand noun, and now it is a word that is thrown around on the tongue without a second thought.

It used to be treated with care, and saved up to be spent on the right person at the right time, not only emphasise the compliment, but to enhance the strength of gratitude taken from it.

Now? It has been degraded to offhandedly describe someone who has too much money to know what to do with, enough fake tan to be visible from space, and someone who hasn’t actually done anything ‘heroic’ (if we still go by the old meaning) at all. Not to stereotype.

It is used to describe someone who is more of an influence, interruption or even a distraction from real life. A celebrity.

My intention is not to label or insult, because don’t get me wrong; I have my fair share of favourite actors, singers and authors. I agree that it has taken hard work and real talent to be able to get where they are, but there are also those who are purely socialites who are living out of daddy’s pocket, who people still inspire to. Those who aim a grin at the camera but nobody actually considers: ‘what do you do again?’

It is only when we think ‘what if my life depended on them’ the realisation kicks in, and those we brand ‘heroes’ are the ones who will in fact need saving by those with the bitter taste for real life. To be described with the word ‘hero’ is, I consider, no less than extravagant, going by what they do for a living, and ergo how much they receive in income for this.

I wish to rediscover the line we drew between hero and role model, which has been sorely lost, and to highlight those who are heroes, but aren’t paid enough attention, as to what they deserve.

The term ‘hero’ has many receptions: if you ask a child they will paint you a picture of a knight in shining armour ready to save the damsel in distress. If you ask a teenager they will prattle on about the latest celebrity who has just completed having their chest waxed for Children in Need (believe me, I should know).

If you ask an adult, it is quite likely you will get the answer I am searching for - those who do the heroic actions, those who save lives whilst risking their own, and those who do it whilst wearing a smile on their faces.

I want to bring to people’s attention the state our society is in, thinking that fame is everything, and without that spotlight you won’t make it. Programmes such as the X Factor encourage this belief, shown by the number of hopefuls turning up at each city for an audition.

Yes, shows like this have produced stars such as Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, but that isn’t the case for everyone – which is what the youth of today just can’t seem to get their heads around, and therefore find their ‘heroes’ in people such as Kim Kardashian.

When queried for their opinions on this, the majority of people asked gave the answer of ‘who the hell is she?’ That is exactly my point.

The real heroes, I believe, are those who are out saving lives, making a difference and not making their complaints front page news: namely the British Armed Forces and any other army for that matter who are out fighting for our lives despite the fact that they’re putting theirs in danger.

During the last 11 years of the Afghanistan war, there have been over 400 deaths in the British Armed Forces and ‘only’ 18 of those were over 40 year olds; the majority were 20-29 year olds. There have been so many young lives wiped out in the blink of an eye - including 33 who were only 19 years old or younger to have their last breath and never see their families again.

Yet they carry on. Why should they? For the pride of our country and the pride of being able to protect the people within it, without the heavy pay cheque to persuade them. So many men are killed, and those who are mentioned on the news are given only a fleeting glance before it moves on to the next subject.

The order of the news also says a lot about society today - I have seen mentions of Cheryl Cole’s divorce declared in the headlines before the death of a young soldier and frankly, I think it’s disgusting.

I understand that people today like to hear the gossip of the celebrity world, and I’m not saying all news should be about the fighting and war, but I think it is just plain wrong that the news of our soldiers is put after the latest celebrity crisis, because surely a soldier’s death is more important than celebrity scandals.

A further example is Whitney Houston’s recent death. Yes, she was adored by many, and had an admittedly brilliant voice, but she was splashed all over the news for days because she was famous for singing and being in rehab; whereas a soldier who died saving our country will be mentioned for a couple of minutes and then forgotten. Disgraceful.

Furthermore, when we do take the time to recognise these heroes, we only give them one night a year, accurately named ‘A Night of Heroes’, whereas celebrities get countless events: with BAFTAs, Oscars, Grammys and more.

However it isn’t only heroes of today that need to be celebrated but those of the past who have put their lives on the line for us without knowing us or being aware of our existence.

The soldiers of the two World Wars are still eminent for their sacrifices and on the eleventh of November most of us will hold our heads high to remember what they did for us, for two minutes of silence. Yet there are still those who feel they can just ignore this memory, and pass their local cenotaph on this date without a nod of respect.

The fact admiration for these real heroes is dying, when it should be savoured, is appalling: why are we giving these social stars two minutes of news each day, about something trivial (that does, in fact, happen to others), when some give not even that much a year, to those who endured hell only 67 years ago.

Although the Armed Forces are a huge part of ‘heroism’ there are also those who are disregarded and looked on as part of a town or city’s right - the Emergency Services. The policemen, doctors and firemen all work through the night to keep our cities safe and do we thank them enough?

Firstly, the police service; these men and women protect us from criminals, and whilst they often get criticism for maybe not satisfying the public properly - where would we be without them? It would be chaos, and people just take them for granted. They uphold the law and keep the peace.

Secondly, all the different parts of the ambulance service work tremendously hard to cure people and keep them alive; and it not only takes knowledge and long hours, but also dedication, which is something all the Emergency Services have.

Thirdly, the fire service, the part of the Emergency Services that demands the most strength, yet all taken on with a bounce in their steps; call it a cliché but these people go to extreme lengths to rescue the lives of others - going into blazing buildings with the threat of choking or burning to death.

These three parts of the Emergency Services all do a huge amount for our people and country - and put in the hard work and time to achieve it, and yet a footballer earns in a week, what would take a fireman approximately 8 years. It’s sickening.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting the Emergency Services receive a huge pay rise, as then the meaning and desire for the job would change, but just to focus on the fact these people do these jobs with a smaller weight of cash in their pockets.

Not only this, but these people are on call, working full time for the public’s needs and yet somehow people still find room to criticise them for not spreading glitter after every job.

To finish, my final segment of ‘hero,’ are those who are even less valued than the public services we have. Those ‘unknown’ heroes of today, who can be people from a very young age, right up to over 70.

I mean the people who take full-time care of a sibling or even parent who may have a disability, and require help from these youths. When you are young you constantly want to play grown-ups, and even in your teens you want to act more mature; but adults are always telling you ‘enjoy your youth!’

Well these young people who take care of their disabled family members can’t go by this motto even if they wanted to, as the jobs they do to help out restrict their free time and leisure activities. A carer spends around 35 hours a week taking care of someone dear, and we don’t pay them the respect they are worth. Instead we concentrate on the people being PAID to do less than this and we applaud them to the ends of the earth, without these who do it out of benevolence getting anything.

I am not asking those who have read this and disagree to change their views on their meaning of ‘hero’, but just to take mine into consideration. To think about it the next time they flip over to the news channel presenting a new soldier found without life.

Or when they see a policeman doing their job despite the panic and commotion around them. Or even if they see the girl from down the road helping her disabled mother to stand upright.

Just every so often focus on those who make a difference in life, not those who appear to when they’re actually just hiding their weaknesses behind false exteriors.

But then, I’m no celebrity; so why listen?

Emma Willingham