Hero

[benakittie]

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I just finished talking with a KCSL group today and one of the topics were discussing what exactly is the difference between a leader and a hero. I was just wondering what were other people's opinions and what makes a hero?

I think an inspirational anime hero to me is Kenshin. In life I have to say Mr. Maxwell my sixth grade music teacher. How about you?[/FONT][/COLOR] :animesmil

[Bloodseeker]

I don't have anybody that I look up to, much less anyone that I consider a hero. There are certain aspects of certain people that I strive to obtain (my dad's common sense, my old friend's laid back attitude, etc), but there's nobody that I look at and say "I want to be like that!". Because all of those people have big gaping flaws... in the case of my dad, he can be a bit uptight at times and has a tendency to take his anger towards his wife out on other people. And my friend, he often leaves some of his other friends behind without even realizing it.

[Doukeshi]

[COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1]A leader and a hero huh?

Well a hero doesn't necessarily need to be a leader, nor is a leader always a hero although one can be both a hero and a leader at the same time. In a sense they are two different things.

Someone can be viewed as a hero for something the do that is heroic (of course you can get into a debat over what is heroic) something that goes above and beyond the call of duty as it were.

A leader is someone who controls a group of people towards a certain goal.

Now, one can be a good leader or a bad leader, leader is simply a job description, whereas you can't be a good or a bad hero, hero is a title. If someone is a bad hero they simply cease being a hero. Unfortunately bad leaders can go on being leaders.

Does that make sense?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Chaos]

A hero and a leader are very similar, if you take it in bare facts. Both are, by definition, charismatic, strong-willed, have the ability to, well, lead, and generally have some fantastic ability to overcome adversity. So what seperates them?

A hero has to die to become one.

[Retribution]

[QUOTE=Chaos]A hero and a leader are very similar, if you take it in bare facts. Both are, by definition, charismatic, strong-willed, have the ability to, well, lead, and generally have some fantastic ability to overcome adversity. So what seperates them?

A hero has to die to become one.[/QUOTE]
[SIZE=1]Not necessarily. A hero can live and still be a hero, lol. It doesn't take someone charismatic to be a hero either -- they can be some lump on a log, rather afraid of everything, but takes the plunge and musters the courage when no one else can. They don't need to lead. It's as simple as jumping on top of a grenade when you're in a trench with some of your unit to save the rest of them. It takes courage, and then the action. Some really depressed loser could still become a hero.

But a leader much be charismatic, but not necessarily courageous. A leader has other people to be courageous for him or her, but it helps most of the time. For example, Mussolini was a 'good' leader in the respect he could unite his people, but he wasn't very courageous, and got chumped around all day in WWII. A leader has to be able to be heard among the crowd, and take charge.[/SIZE]

[Bloodseeker]

A hero does something so great or lives in such a way that it inspires others to follow in their footsteps. How is that not a sort of leadership?

[Godelsensei]

[quote name='Bloodseeker']A hero does something so great or lives in such a way that it inspires others to follow in their footsteps. How is that not a sort of leadership?[/quote]

Say I were to stop WWIII from happening before it even started, only no one heard about it.

Would that not still be the most god damn heroic thing thinkable?

[kaisha]

A hero is simply someone you look up to, admire. A leader is someone who will pave the way for other peopl to achive things the never thought they could. There is a great diffirence, in some cases a leader becomes a hero though.

[Bloodseeker]

[QUOTE=Godelsensei]Say I were to stop WWIII from happening before it even started, only no one heard about it.

Would that not still be the most god damn heroic thing thinkable?[/QUOTE]

An unsung hero. But if people did hear about it, I'm completely sure others be inspired and would feel a new obligation to prevent war as well.

[quote name='kaisha']A hero is simply someone you look up to, admire. A leader is someone who will pave the way for other peopl to achive things the never thought they could. There is a great diffirence, in some cases a leader becomes a hero though.[/quote]

When you look up to someone, do you not aspire to be like them? To share the traits that they have? When you truly like something, you inevitably want it for yourself. They inspired you to want whatever it is that you liked about them. Maybe you're not willing to go through whatever it is that they went through to get there, but the seeds are planted.

[Delta]

[COLOR=#95005E][SIZE=1][QUOTE=Godelsensei]Say I were to stop WWIII from happening before it even started, only no one heard about it.

Would that not still be the most god damn heroic thing thinkable?[/QUOTE]"[i]And Hideo Kojima sayeth[/i], 'I shall mold a videogame out of thy character, and christen it "Snake". Thy callsign shall be known throughout the lands yet thy true name shall forever remain veiled. For thou hast brought about great wonders in anonymity thus thou shall become known through it."[/SIZE]

A hero, huh? I say it's someone who did something anyone could've done but refused to do. By sheer willpower or the wish to go down in history, I don't know, but I believe we can all be heroes, given the chance to play as one.
[SIZE=1]*accepts Ms. Universe tiara*[/SIZE]


[RIGHT]"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer."
-Ralph Waldo Emmerson.[/RIGHT][/COLOR]

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]I think that a hero can be a pretty loose term. It really depends on the person who considers a certain person (real or fictional) as a hero. A leader is much more defined, someone who... well, leads. As said by doukeshi03, this can be good or bad. For example, leaders of a country. The president is ussually looked upon as a good leader (depending on who it is, and a persons oppinions), where a dictator is usually viewed as a bad leader (again, it varys, many people thought Hitler was great). I pretty much agree with everyithing that doukeshi03 said.[/COLOR]

[quote name='Bloodseeker']When you look up to someone, do you not aspire to be like them? To share the traits that they have? When you truly like something, you inevitably want it for yourself. They inspired you to want whatever it is that you liked about them. Maybe you're not willing to go through whatever it is that they went through to get there, but the seeds are planted.[/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]You don't need to be a leader to be a hero. For example, i look up to John-5, an amazing guitarist. In that sense you could say he's my hero (though idon't consider him one), and i have no motivation to go ahead and play guitar.[/COLOR]
[QUOTE=Chaos]
A hero has to die to become one.[/QUOTE]
[COLOR=DarkRed]Very untrue. A hero most certainly does [I]not[/I] have to die to be a hero. Suggest someone (in time of war, for example) puts their life on the line for the purpose of saving many comrades. Weather a person who did that lived or not would definately be a hero in my book. What your thinking of is more of a martyr than a hero. A martyr can be a hero, but isn't neccessarily. It depends on who is looking at it. If someone dies for a particular cause or belief, by definition they are a martyr. One person may view that person as a hero, while another (from another country maybe) would consider this person a terrorist.[/COLOR]

[quote name='kaisha'] A hero is simply someone you look up to, admire. A leader is someone who will pave the way for other peopl to achive things the never thought they could. There is a great diffirence, in some cases a leader becomes a hero though.[/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]I agree with your interpretation of a hero, but not a leader. Your definition of a leader can be true in some cases, but a leader can range from a great leader of a country, to someone who merely guides or looks over other people ( your boss at a job). If you take the second example, and say a boss, the person is a leader, but many people may not like him/her at all.
[/COLOR]
[quote name='Delta']By sheer willpower or the wish to go down in history, I don't know, but I believe we can all be heroes, given the chance to play as one. [/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]I agree completey, but on a slightly diferent level. Anyone with the willpower can become someone great, but that doesn't make them a hero. Basically a hero is defined only on who considers the person a hero. You can do something great, and no one may care, or you can do nothing at all, yet still be looked up to as a hero. That's why i agree with Delta, that anyone can be a hero, but willpower is not required for it, it just helps a lot.[/COLOR]

[Pumpkin]

[QUOTE=boxybrown305][COLOR=DarkRed]I agree with your interpretation of a hero, but not a leader. Your definition of a leader can be true in some cases, but a leader can range from a great leader of a country, to someone who merely guides or looks over other people ( your boss at a job). If you take the second example, and say a boss, the person is a leader, but many people may not like him/her at all.
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][COLOR="#993366"][B]Boxybrown is right about the hero defintion. A hero is someone who you can admire or look up upon, someone that is inspiring in a way. A leader doesn't have to be inspiring, infact, a leader may just as well be disliked or hated. It's someone that guides people as boxy stated. You pretty much hit the dot on the differences between the two so I have nothing to say but to agree with what is said above. [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

[benakittie]

[quote name='Pumpkin][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][COLOR="#993366"][B]Boxybrown is right about the hero defintion. A hero is someone who you can admire or look up upon, someone that is inspiring in a way. A leader doesn't have to be inspiring, infact, a leader may just as well be disliked or hated. It's someone that guides people as boxy stated. You pretty much hit the dot on the differences between the two so I have nothing to say but to agree with what is said above. [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR'][/B][/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]I'm glad so many have replied to this thread, it was my first. :animesmil I hope you all enjoyed this one, although it was very vague and not much to discuss about. :animesigh [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Juke Box Hero]

A leader is a dude who does just that: leads. Inspiration is not a prereq. of leadership, in fact the most common "leadership" tool is fear. A leader guides men, he doesn't save them, a leader pushes forward, he doesn't ensure by definition the correctness of the path, a leader dominates and wills things for his own good.

That is not to say there are no moral and inspirational leaders, but I speak purely on bare bones definition.

A hero doesn't need to lead, he doesn't need to interact with anybody at all, in fact. A hero is larger than life, a hero overcomes something a normal man would fail to overcome. No, he's not superman, but he is humanity on the next level, and generally people are seen as heroic after having accomplished some altruistic accomplishment.

To me, that is not always the case. The hero, to me, is the person who does what needs to be done regardless of social pressure. The hero is the one who cuts through the crap and makes positive change, even if he becomes hated in the process.