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What does a hero mean to you?
In Indonesia, November is identical with the celebration of Heroes' Day. Pak Sukarno, one of the founding fathers of Indonesian, said that a great nation is a nation that honors their heroes. In this edition of KONTAK, we will discuss the meaning of heroes according to the millennials, the young generation represented by several Year 10 students.
- Rayhan Arsene Putra Aliansyah 10A
For me, a hero is not someone who wears a cape, has superhuman strength, and fights crime during the night. In my opinion, for someone to be a real hero, they must have a positive impact on someone else’s life. To be a hero, someone doesn’t need to save the world by selflessly sacrificing themselves fighting the antagonist. A hero can just be someone who people can rely on when they’re feeling down. A hero can be someone kind, caring, and supportive, always happy to assist others through whatever life throws at them. That is what a hero means to me. For me, my heroes would be both of my parents. They’re my heroes because they are my inspiration. I look up to them and aspire to have the same qualities that made them my heroes in the first place. They are always caring for my siblings and me and put our needs above their own. If I am ever in a bad spot, I will seek their advice as I know they have my best interest in mind. I trust them to support me whenever I need help, as I know they will always have my back. They are my heroes because they are caring, supportive and trustworthy and I aspire to be like them. My parents have always encouraged me to do new things and explore out of my comfort zone. Their lesson on always being inquisitive and not being afraid to try will always stick with me. Another great lesson that I have learned from them is always to be selfless. Being generous and helping others might be obvious, but I have learned how being selfless can benefit more than just feeling good about yourself from my parents. Selflessness can lead to better relationships with friends and family while making us feel happier and at peace. I guess I could be a hero by following in the footsteps of my own heroes. I can copy the traits that I see in my parents and showcase them in my own way. I can be caring for others, to people I know, and to total strangers. I can be supportive to those people who need support and help them as best as I can. I can be someone that people can rely on and trust. I can inspire others to follow the values that make us good people. I think that is how you be a hero, not by putting on a cape or getting bit by radioactive insects but by just being a good person. Image
- Azkanio Nikola Corbuzier 10B
So, what is a hero? Well a hero can mean many different things to many different people, from a man wearing a cape shooting laser beams to a parent just doing their job, the definition of a hero is blurry and yet to me it’s actually really easy to explain. I believe that a hero is just a normal human being that isn’t afraid to do what is right, not because it benefits them but because they know that other people will benefit from it. Alright, being completely honest, I know some people would be disappointed and think that I’m being too cliche, but I don’t really care, because I know that I'm being a hundred percent truthful when I say that my hero is my father. Now other than being 50 percent of the reason that I’m so awesome, he is also the greatest man that I know. Is he the best father in the world? There's a chance he's not, does he make mistakes? Of course he does, and yet every single time that I have ever needed him, he was there, every single time I’m feeling down, he was there, every single time I felt like the world was crumbling around me and nothing made sense, you wanna know where he was? In Japan, I’m kidding he was right there beside me. Now does all of this mean that I'm going to be just like him or even better? maybe, probably not, I mean he’s an incredibly special person and I don’t think I can live up to everything he has done, but I’m definitely going to try, I mean 90 percent of the things I do is because I was inspired by him, for example working out or martial arts or even studying psychology.
Now what about me, Azka Corbuzier, how can I be a hero just like my father before me? Honestly, I don’t know, I don’t think of myself as a hero and unlike my father I’m honestly not that nice. But I do want to be a hero, and since I’m pretty sure I’m not gonna get super powers anytime soon, I guess all I can do is be there when someone needs me, to provide support, and help, and be the light that people need in dark desperate times.
- Kaira Orelia Wullur 10C
A hero can mean a lot of things. The flying man with a cape we all thought was a bird or a plane, the person who gave someone a life-saving surgery, or the woman who spent 9 months carrying around a fetus before giving birth to you. I think a hero is someone who can be admired for their courageous acts and efforts even though not everything they do leads to success. Although I have the urge to say my parents are my heroes, I would like to pick someone outside the people I know or am close with. This would sound totally random but my hero is the Chief of RW (Rukun Warga) in the area I live in. Why exactly? The RW chief has been the same person since I was born and until now, so I’m very familiar with him, especially the fact that he hangs out at the security post often, waving at residents as we pass by. He wasn’t only the chief because he wanted authority and power but we can see his genuine concerns for the community we live in. Never did he stop to try and make our community a better place to live in, there was always room for improvement in his mind. It was always for the goodness of other people. What he does doesn’t make me want to be Chief of RW, it motivates me to lead a team well. To be able to create opportunities and give a safe space for other people is something I want to do in the future and Pak Rudi, the Chief of RW, definitely deserves some sort of credit for motivating me.
- Padma Kayana Darusman 10D
I think a hero can be as simple as someone who you look up to; Someone who you especially admire and appreciate dearly either from afar or up close. In no way does a hero have to be infamous, they can be important to you and you only. A hero doesn’t have to be showy or extravagant, but I think you all know that already. With each new day comes a new hero for me, but there is someone that I’d like to acknowledge. My hero is one of the most persevering people I know, and although she might have a million flaws, she has a million strengths that outshine them all. My grandmother is my hero, as ordinary as it sounds. But as your older brother is yours or as your aunt is yours, she is special to me. She’s one of the strongest people I know, and I do not flinch when I say that. She is fierce, yet she is gentle and loving. She can go on and on with her little gossips and I’d never be bored. My grandmother is never the type to complain; She accepts the past the way it is and focuses on the happiness of others as well as her own. She doesn’t force her own ways on others, however, she listens to them and she lets people know that she is there for them to depend on, which I respect very much. She gives people room to grow, letting them become a hero themselves. My grandmother, who’s usually busy reading books in her garden or cooking spices and whatnot in the kitchen, has taught me more than she realizes. My grandmother teaches me to always choose kindness -- whenever, wherever, and to whoever. With her around, I always feel safe and cared for, and I feel supported. My grandmother gives me the confidence to find a hero in myself. I think to be a hero, you must be sincere in caring for others. By staying true to what you say and what you do, you can stand out as a hero in someone else’s eyes.
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