Kevin's Hero Story
There is nothing more powerful than your origin story. Regardless of time, place or culture, the struggles and heroes of our early life shapes us as adults. That's why it's a value to us to acknowledge and celebrate the story of those a part of our Hero Within Family. Super fanboy and blog contributor, Kevin, shares his hero story with us:
Who were your childhood heroes?
Growing up I didn't have a lot of real-life heroes at the time. Well certainly my Mother counted, she was single Mother who was working her tail off to provide a good life and helped me see the world, I didn't recognize the work and sacrifice at the time. While most of my friends looked to sport stars, Wayne Gretzky, Micheal Jordan, and Jerry Rice those individuals didn't seem any more real to me than Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Inspirational, entertaining, but seemed just as unlikely. It was with the fictional heroes that I found stories that just resonated with me. The best example which had the most impact on me was Darkhawk. Chris Powell had some anger issues and found himself in over his head more than once. And these were things I was struggling with myself. Not knowing exactly why I was angry or how to handle tough situations. So to share that journey and watch a young character grow and learn inspired me to do the same. To find a way forward, to look beyond one's circumstances and make friends along the way. Darkhawk teamed up with some of my favorite heroes including Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight, and Nova. Each time learning something new which inspired me to continue to grow as a person. Combined with my love of the Jedi and Yoda, these influences really helped shape me and encourage me to be more than what I was. To always strive to be a better person each day.
Who is the most important hero in pop culture today?
I don't know if there is a definitive answer for that, but for a beautiful reason - Diversity. This diversity is the most important because to allows for the story and character to speak direct to as many people as possible. When I was watching The Force Awakens there was a younger girl in front of me who was in amazement as Rey grabbed the lightersaber at the climax of the movie; amazed the hero could be "a girl." Wonder Woman and Princess Shuri has provided the exact same experience, showing strong, willful characters who overcome difficult situations and save the day. Black Panther, Miles Morales, and the list goes on. Different age groups, from the young Spider-Man to the feels older than he is Tony Stark. Groups like Guardians of the Galaxy showing different people from different backgrounds coming together and finding family. Showing core human stories that go beyond glass wall differences. There is no singular hero that is the most important in our culture today, because we finally recognizing the beauty and strength of our diversity. And each character may be the most important to inspiring someone to be better, to be their own hero. And I don't think you can ask for anything more than that.
How has the modern era of heroes inspired you?
The Human Experience. That is just what I think of when I look at the heroes currently out there. Not one is perfect. There are struggles we can relate to and see a bit of ourselves in. The feelings of loss and grief. The feelings of being overwhelmed and feeling lost. Times where we just feel like we want to give-up because we have been through the ringer and we just feel done. But we see these heroes raise and fight and they inspire us to do the same. To stand up and fight for what we believe is right. To not be threatened by our differences, but to find strength in our diversity. I am not sure this is era specific, but with the modern era we are able to explore these is so many more ways. Video Games, Movies, TV Shows, Cartoons, and Comics. This is the beauty of all heroes - the ability to share difficult experiences that we can relate to and inspire us to reach for that positive and heroic outcome.
Thanks Kevin! If you would like to share your story, contact us at Info@HeroWithinStory.com.
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