What is a national hero? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself since going to the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. In this museum, we came across a wall of portraits, which they referred to as “the wall of national heroes”. Our tour guide prompted us with the question, “What is a national hero–to you and to the United States?”. I answered first. I said, “To me, a national hero is someone who has fought to stand up for furthering equality and civil rights. A national hero is someone who made positive impacts on the country.” That was my response, and I thought it was a good one. A classmate responded, “The Founding Fathers are national heroes, along with others who formed the nation.” I wholeheartedly disagreed. Personally, I would never consider the Founding Fathers to be national heroes. My mind immediately went to the genocide of the indigenous peoples of the land and the slaves that these men boasted. I thought of the oppression of so many people. This chain of events led me to think deeply about this question. What really is a national hero? Can someone be a national hero if not everybody agrees? Should anyone really be considered a hero? I realized that, typically, those we consider to be “heroes” are the villains in someone else’s story. Should anyone really be considered a hero?
If you look up “Definition of national hero” on the internet, you get a wide variety of responses. Here are a few notable ones:
“A National Hero is someone who beyond that has made significant positive contributions to the growth and development of society, and represents all of us.” – Government of Bermuda
“The concept of the national hero is not a distinct category, but rather a construct that is not so much shaped by the actual achievements of the ⟶ hero figure – which might not even have existed – as it is by the image of the nation with which it is associated. National heroes are individuals who are said to have founded, co-founded or defended that very nation or to have helped it to gain power or prestige.” – The Online Encyclopaedia on Heroes, Heroizations and Heroisms
“Heroes are people who have a sense of nation and strive for the country’s liberation. They define and contribute to a nation’s freedom and order. Heroes contribute to a nation’s quality of life.” – FutureLearn
It struck me that the vast majority of portraits on the wall were of male soldiers–veterans who served in at least one of the wars. Certainly, that is brave, courageous, and bold, but it leads me to further question what the standards for heroes are–especially considering the controversiality of most wars. There are so many casualties–on both sides–and there is almost always more lost than there is gained. Thus, it is hard for me to call this heroic or just.
After concluding that I had a different idea of hero than this museum, I began to discuss with a couple of my classmates the idea of a hero or national hero and whether we think it should exist at all. Together, we compiled lists of potential heroes and national heroes, picking them apart one by one until we had very few contenders. The problem is. . . no one is perfect. Being a good person is not black and white. Nothing is all good or all bad. A hero to one person is a villain to another. No person is fully one thing.
There are people who have done many heroic things. There are people who inspire. There are people who have achieved greatness.
To me, there are no heroes. There are just people–some of whom I would like to learn from.