The Reluctant Hero

Man it has been a while since I last posted. Its amazing how hard it is to get myself to sit down and write.


There are many types of heroes and they all have their own unique qualities. The reluctant hero is one I relate to a lot. I feel they skirt the line of good and evil because they make a choice about something they didn't ask for or want. The typical reluctant hero is one that receives an enormous gift and squanders it. Holding back what they have and denying that it is a gift and not a curse. In life there are so many examples but I can use my writing as one.


When I was younger I was told that I have bad handwriting. Later, I was told I could not write well and should not consider it for a profession (this person went on to make fun of my papers to the upper classes). Even afterwards, I was told to give up on script writing cause lets face it you are no good(this was on my birthday). Its kind of a miracle that I do write at all. Now given the amount of negative feedback I have received on writing I am not sure if it counts when it comes to this example but I feel I have a gift for writing which brings me to my next point. Even if I do have a gift you would think that I would use it more often.


I like to write and even more so, I like to show people what I write. I want to know what they think. Do they think its good or do I have to rewrite it? Why don't I utilize that gift?


Is it that the reluctant hero doesn't see the potential in what they are doing? Or is it that they want to avoid being responsible and held accountable? I feel it can often times be a little bit of both. They are unaware that they have the gift and when they find out they have it they will very likely do anything they can to avoid it. Once the reluctant hero knows of his/her gift they make excuses, avoiding using it, they might even go as far as running away from where they are supposed to be. This is because they know exactly what it means if they accept the fact that this gift won't go away. They didn't want it. They didn't need it. They wanted a different gift.


The gift most often ends up being exactly what they needed in life. Not the fancy car, not the quiet life on the farm, not the supermodel girl who is as shallow as they come. It ends up taking them further then they could ever imagine going. They end up impacting lives and changing the world sometimes. Its not easy though and that is probably why they are reluctant. It always seems easier to do the opposite and just walk away, unfortunately some do. Some decide to be the opposite of what the gift is for and become the villain. The villain can be a person that makes the choice to just walk away. Or they can embrace the gift they have and instead use it for personal gain at the cost of others.


In the end I am left with one logical choice if I want to be more then the reluctant hero. It means I need to step up in my life and become more then I am. Use my strength and become a hero.


Examples of reluctant heros:
Jonah in the bible
Wikus Van De Merwe, District 9
The Fantastic four, (comics)
St. Francis of Assisi
Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files
Ender, Enders Game
Gollum, the Lord of the Rings
Han Solo, Star Wars
Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings