In your opinion, "What is a Hero?"

I think this has actually been the most difficult question I have seen on RP to answer... I had to think about qualities a person who should be a hero ought to have... I have to say part of this is to be able to have meaningful impact on the lives of others for a positive outcome. To have that moment when no one else is able or willing to act, there is that one person to stand up... It is a moment of significance when a hero is found... Hell, General Grant was not a successful outside of the military, there was even doubt to even give him command, but he eventually be came the Commander of the Union Army, held a rank no one since George Washington held... that is a hero... to over come great odds, to stand up and do a job no one is willing to do. Just a bit of a caveat... I also think a hero is a person willing to clean a toilet... my goodness there are some pigs out there...

Heroes possess and demonstrate courage at least for the time they are being heroic. Courage occurs in all walks of life and has occurred in all epochs since people began communicating on cave walls and animal skins.
Heroes are not glory seekers and they are not foolhardy. Heroes rise up when needed, do what is required and recover afterwards frequently avoiding the limelight.
Being courageous requires overcoming a level of fear and overtly or tacitly accepting risk on the behalf of others. Heroes are all around us - in addition to those who protect and defend us in the police, fire departments, military members, security services, medical and trauma personnel, teachers, children in the schoolyard and neighborhoods standing up to bullies, drugs, gangs; people who donate kidneys and other tissue which can be used to save somebody else's life.

I've seen this discussion a couple different times....so here is a totally different answer for a new thread.

A hero is a victim of circumstance. In that moment, he longs to be an honest coward.

You'll see him when things are at their worst. When things are at their worst, he'll tell you everything will be ok. When things are ok, he'll be gone.