Sub-Hero

Have you ever, and you may not have, been embarrassed or ashamed by your  heritage?  You may come from a people that have committed atrocities or have certain attitudes of types of people.  In history we read that many people have died in the 20th Century.  World War I saw the advent of wide spread chemical warfare, of the tank, and of the airplane bomber.   Thousands died in it.  Then thousands died under the Third Reich due to pure racism.  Thousand also died in the Soviet Union under Stalin.  Thousands died in China in the cultural revolution.  The killing fields of Cambodia were striking.  Murders upon murders in South and Central America were horrifying.  And what is yet to be told of the bloodiness in North Africa under the dictators of Egypt and Libya and others?  The genocide in Central Africa also comes to mind and many more incidents.  It was a bloody century, perhaps the bloodiest of them all.  What if you came from the people who committed those atrocities, or a people who had the attitude that lead to the massacre of thousands?  What if you were ashamed of these attitudes and tried to counter them?  I dare to coin a term for this, a sub-hero.  I will endeavor to define what a sub-hero is and does.

A sub-hero hates.  Of the first steps a sub-hero makes is that of realizing and hating the heritage of murderous attitudes.  He/She owns them.  He/She puts intent to not repeat them, ever.  He/She mourns the loss of lives and the loss of dignity.  The past is past and the sub-hero does not dwell in the past but looks to the future.

A sub-hero warns.  Any time the sub-hero encounters the murderous attitudes, their blood goes cold.  They cringe at it, and sneer at it.  Then the verbal counter to these attitudes comes out.  Due to tactfulness, a fight with the promoters of these attitudes can be adverted.  Loving the promoters as well as the victims is necessary to the sub-hero.  If he/she looses them then the war is lost.  Getting others to shun these murderous attitudes is the key.  Thus the sub-hero guards the sanctity of love and peace.

A sub-hero is not praised.  There is no honor to being a sub-hero.  The very nature of their state is shameful.  They may not reveal their identity with the atrocious heritage.  Who would praise them?  Who would look up to them to emulate?  None dare.  A sub-hero's path is lonely and ungrateful, and yet it's necessary.  It's a cross to bear and a penance to perform.

A sub-hero hates, warns, and is not praised.  This is a first definition of this term.  This World needs sub-heroes.  Our societies need healing.  Our people need teaching.  If the human race is to take the next step towards enlightenment, then murderous attitudes need to be left behind.  We need to grow up and face each other with our problems and work them out rather than having the cowardly cop-out of murder.