Heroism of our time

• Physical heroism is the ability to risk life or limb for lofty goals.
• Moral heroism is the willingness to go against the norms and rules, defending one’s beliefs.
• Vital heroism is the constant overcoming of one’s own physical or mental shortcomings.

This was followed by the nominations of Jack Sparrow, Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins. With heroes from real life, Vadim had serious difficulties. I have, too, though. After much thought, he finally remembered Yuri Gagarin. And I told him about Shavarsh Karapetyan. But both of us felt that the topic needed more in-depth research.

The next morning, the nephew demanded to look for heroes on the Internet. At the request “heroism” – the search engine issued a spell in an online game (it increases the speed of combat by 30%). Vadim became sad. “I do not understand. Who and how decides whether a hero is human or not? And where does heroism come from? We need to figure it out.” I promised I’d figure it out.

human destiny

Philosophers often refer to Antiquity as the “childhood of mankind”. Many philosophical and aesthetic views of the ancient Greeks look really childish today. If you think about it, most ancient heroes are a bit “batmen”, in the sense that they are initially endowed with superhuman abilities.

“In our logic, you need to accomplish a feat in order to become a hero,” explains philosopher Valery Gubin. – In ancient Greek culture, everything was exactly the opposite. You had to be a hero to perform feats. And they became heroes, so to speak, by birthright. In myths, a hero is one who is born from the love of a god and a mortal.”

But with exploits, everything is not so simple. Let’s take Hercules: he, of course, exterminated a lot of malicious creatures and cleared the Augean stables, but a fair part of his exploits is far from our ideas of heroism.

Why was it necessary to steal apples from the garden of the Hesperides or a belt from the queen of the Amazons, and even kill a lot of people at the same time? Yes, this was required by the service of Tsar Eurystheus, but what a feat it is – to be ashamed just right …

Heroism in ancient Greece is in many ways “art for art’s sake”. An act associated with danger and exceeding the limits of human strength is already a feat. And the Hellenes admired such an act, innocently forgetting that the capabilities of their heroes exceeded human ones.

However, both among the ancient Greeks and among other peoples, heroism has always been considered precisely the human lot. The gods are immortal and therefore risk nothing. Even the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ—perhaps the most heroic act in history—is not the act of a god, but of a God-man.

“I see a goal”

The military pilot, recognized as the best fighter ace in history, participated in 825 air battles and shot down 352 enemy aircraft. He did not hesitate to engage in battle with the superior forces of the enemy. In 1945, in just one day, he destroyed 11 enemy aircraft. On another occasion he was shot down behind enemy lines.

As an enemy detachment approached, the pilot pretended to be seriously wounded. The ploy worked, he was sent to headquarters in the back of an ambulance truck. The pilot neutralized the only escort and jumped out of the car at full speed. In the evening of the same day, he crossed the front line under fire and returned to his unit. And in the morning he again went into battle … Agree, it is difficult not to consider this man a hero. And now let’s clarify: the pilot’s name was Erich Hartmann, and he was a pilot of the German Air Force – the Luftwaffe.

We understand by heroism extraordinary behavior dictated by higher goals. But what should be considered such goals?

“Of course, there are higher, universal values. And the actions dictated by them will be considered heroic in any culture,” explains Valery Gubin. For example, saving a human life. But there are also values ​​inherent in each particular social system. They change as society develops, and with them the idea of ​​heroism changes. Suffice it to recall the same Pavlik Morozov or Alexei Stakhanov – who would now think of calling them heroes? But their names were sacred to millions of people.”

War in this sense stands apart. Like any extreme situation, it creates heroes, although the heroism of one side is deadly for the other.

“For me personally, a hero is more likely one who finds an opportunity to save lives even in war, rather than one who goes to his death to kill as many enemies as possible,” says psychologist Dmitry Leontiev. “But in a situation of war, everything becomes black and white: victory is good, defeat is bad, and no means are excessive.

Unfortunately, this logic also applies to terrorists. Consider the jubilation in Palestine after the 11/XNUMX attacks, or the glorification of suicide bombers who blow themselves up on buses. For those waging a holy war against infidels, terrorists are heroes. The tragedy is that on the other hand, unsuspecting civilians act as “soldiers.”

Threshold of Heroism

Let us hope that we are still able, if we wish, to distinguish good goals from bad ones. How do we know if we have the courage to become a hero?

“I think it’s best to talk about heroism when a person does something beyond his capabilities: physical, mental, spiritual,” says existential psychotherapist Svetlana Krivtsova.

Dmitry Leontiev adds that we have different opportunities, and therefore the “threshold of heroism” is individual.

This is, in fact, a historical anecdote retold by psychologist Viktor Frankl: “During the First World War, a military doctor, a Jew, was sitting in a trench with his friend, a non-Jewish, aristocratic colonel, when heavy shelling began. The Colonel teased his friend, saying: “You are afraid, aren’t you? Another proof of the superiority of the Aryan race over the Semitic.” “Of course I’m afraid,” the doctor replied, “but as far as superiority is concerned, if you, my dear colonel, were afraid like me, you would have fled long ago.”*

Not much research has been devoted to the psychology of heroism. It is not easy to study it: it is impossible, out of scientific curiosity, to create a real threat to life in the laboratory.

Therefore, heroic behavior is studied “in hindsight”, which, according to Dmitry Leontiev, does not always lead to success: “In a sense, a heroic deed creates a new personality. And going back to the moment of manifestation of heroism does not necessarily give us knowledge about the psychology of the person who manifested it.

Nevertheless, there are quite convincing classifications of heroism. Psychologist Cynthia Pury, for example, suggests three types of courage**.

• The first is physical heroism, when a person risks life or health for the sake of high goals.
• The second type is moral heroism, when a person goes against generally accepted norms and rules. A typical example is the hero of Alexander Gelman’s play “Minutes of a Meeting” (and the film “Prize” based on it), who demands not to reward his team, since the prize has not been earned.
• And finally, heroism is vital. It implies that a person overcomes his own physical or mental shortcomings (phobias, addictions), even without any special consequences for others.

The most striking example is the fate of the British scientist Stephen Hawking. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis completely deprived him of the ability to move and speak, but Hawking not only did not give up, but also became one of the greatest physicists of our time.

Of course, Hawking is unique, but any person with disabilities who, overcoming his limitations, lives a full life and enjoys every day, or an alcohol addict who has stopped drinking once and for all, are also heroes.

Shavarsh Karapetyan

On September 16, 1976, the multiple record holder and world champion in diving Shavarsh Karapetyan found himself on the shores of Lake Yerevan at the moment when the trolley bus fell off the bridge into the water. Karapetyan jumped into the lake, managed to break the window of the trolley bus and get into the flooded passenger compartment.

He dived more than 20 times – to a depth of 10 meters, into cold water with zero visibility due to silt rising from the bottom. And saved 20 people. Hypothermia caused bilateral pneumonia, and cuts led to sepsis.

He not only survived, but was able to return to big sport and set another world record. However, this feat is not the only one. Even before that, he was driving with a group of athletes from a training base when the bus stalled on a mountain road.

The driver put the handbrake on and went out to inspect the engine. At that moment, the brake failed, and the bus rolled into the abyss. Karapetyan was sitting closest to the driver’s cab. He smashed the glass, jumped into the driver’s seat and, having unscrewed the steering wheel, turned the bus across the road, thus averting a disaster.

And in 1985, he entered a burning building and carried several people out of the fire during a fire in a sports and concert complex in Yerevan. Shavarsh Karapetyan sees nothing surprising in his fate. Abnormal, from his point of view, would be indifference in those situations where others need help.

Elizabeth Glinka

A resuscitator and specialist in palliative medicine (improving the quality of life of patients in situations where a cure is impossible), Elizaveta Glinka cared for those who had no one to take care of. About old people whom even their children have forgotten about, about the homeless, whom doctors refuse to visit, about the dying, who have no place in hospitals.

Lisa’s team dealt with pain, suffering and despair every day in a concentration that most of us can’t even imagine. And every day, through their efforts, pain, suffering and despair became less.

Elizaveta Glinka wrote about her patients and her work as follows: “They smile when you hold them by the hand. They calm down because there are those who, without giving hope, do not take it away. Write, call, wait, love. These are living, suffering people who differ from you and me only in that they know their remaining life span. Some are shorter, some are longer. You can’t stop loving. Can’t be forced. Everyone has their own choice … We are trying to help those who will not be helped by anyone. Regardless of religion, origin and social status. Help us help them. Thank you. Doctor Lisa.

On December 25, 2016, Elizaveta Glinka died in a plane crash. But her name has become a symbol of modern heroism – in 2020, the feature film “Doctor Liza” with Chulpan Khamatova in the title role was released.

Sergey Sotnikov

Izhma Airport officially ceased to exist in 2003. The duties of the only remaining employee, Sergei Sotnikov, included maintaining only the helipad in working condition.

Helicopters don’t need a runway, but for ten years Sotnikov put it in order every day: he cleaned and cut down bushes that made their way through the concrete. He drove local residents who piled firewood on the strip. What for? “Just for myself. To be nice, ”Sotnikov himself said in an interview.

On September 7, 2010, all the electrical equipment on board the aircraft, which was flying from the Yakutsk Polyarny airport to Moscow, failed. Having no idea where they were, the pilots decided to descend for an emergency landing. And, coming out of the clouds, they suddenly found a free lane. It turned out to be too short for the Tu-154, and the plane slid into the undergrowth. But otherwise, the landing was almost perfect, none of the 72 passengers and 9 crew members were injured.

Sergei Sotnikov was awarded diplomas of the Republic of Komi and the Federal Air Transport Agency, became a laureate of the Vladimir Vysotsky “Own Track” award; and users of one of the popular sites collected 300 thousand rubles as a sign of gratitude and gave him a snowmobile.

Pro Heroes

The work of many people – rescuers, firefighters, police officers – is directly related to risk. And those who used to be called “heroic people” are under the close supervision of psychologists who seek to better understand the origins of heroic behavior.

“One of the most important characteristics of such people is resistance to stress,” explains Dmitry Leontiev. “And, more broadly, resilience.”

According to the psychologist Salvatore Maddi, who introduced this concept into scientific use, resilience includes three components: the conviction that being in the thick of things is more useful than staying on the sidelines; understanding that an attempt to influence events is always preferable to passivity; and finally, risk taking, the willingness to act without guaranteeing a positive outcome.

Those who possess such a set of qualities are resistant to stress and act faster and more efficiently in extreme situations***.

But can their actions be considered heroism?

“Getting people out of the fire is part of the job of a firefighter, and making emergency landings is the job of a pilot,” says Dmitry Leontiev. – And when in an extreme situation they behave impeccably, this deserves the deepest respect. But they do exactly what they should do, what they were trained to do – and do not go beyond their own capabilities. Recall “Seventeen Moments of Spring”: Stirlitz is a knight without fear and reproach, but he does his job. And the real hero is Professor Pleischner.”

Character or environment?

Are there character traits that increase the likelihood of heroic deeds?

“The feat is unpredictable, and I would not talk about specific features,” Dmitry Leontiev answers. – Rather, you can look for the internal sources of heroism. When the situation calls for pressing down to the ground, the hero stands up to his full height. He overcomes the resistance of circumstances, his own body and his own psyche. Such an act is impossible without a fulcrum. But it cannot be found outside. The hero finds a foothold within himself, in his own philosophy, in his system of values.

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo is also not inclined to attribute heroism to character traits. He believes that heroism has more to do with the environment than with the individual, and if the right conditions are created, many will behave like heroes.

This is confirmed by statistics: after September 11, passengers of American planes more than once, risking their lives, helped to detain terrorist suspects. Social attitudes have changed, and the responsibility for flight safety is now felt not only by the crew.

Zimbardo directs the Heroic Imagination Project**** educational project. Its goal is to convince children and adolescents that heroism is not the lot of the elite (heroes in the ancient sense), that everyone can – and in other situations should – become a hero.

“It seems to me that the existential understanding of heroism as overcoming internal limitations contradicts the idea of ​​Zimbardo,” says Svetlana Krivtsova. – Readiness for a feat was brought up in Soviet children for years, but the result of these efforts was the feeling that Venichka Erofeev expressed: “I would agree to live on earth for all eternity if they first showed me a corner where there is not always a place for feats” **** *.

Perhaps readiness for exploits is not the right goal? Moreover, today some become heroes because others did not fulfill their duties.

“We admire the heroism, for example, of the pilots who landed a faulty plane,” says Valery Gubin. – But after all, this plane flew off its own 10 years ago and should not have risen into the air at all. Many feats are generated by our common irresponsibility. And their reduction would be evidence of the normal development of society.”

One feat and a whole life

The modern understanding of heroism presupposes rather than one specific act, but a general line of behavior, experts unanimously say.

“Once I witnessed the arrest of a criminal,” Valery Gubin gives an example. He was walking straight at the policeman who pointed a gun at him. He walked with a grin and muttered: “Well, are you going to shoot? Shoot!” It suddenly occurred to me that this person is an unconditional hero in his coordinate system. And that the heroism of one particular act is possible for everyone. This is a natural, almost animal manifestation. And human is love, patience, kindness. They cannot be affirmed in one step, they must be affirmed throughout life.

“Freedom, goodness, love have no causes in human nature. They persist as long as we make efforts,” adds Dmitry Leontiev. “And although everyday heroism is more of a metaphor, the one who raises himself above himself every day by the scruff of the neck is a real hero.”

“We can be satisfied with our deed and even be proud of it if we have grown up to it, if the efforts are adequate to our capabilities, although this is not a feat,” explains Svetlana Krivtsova. – A feat is where resources are already at zero. The greatest heroism is the heroism of “being” when there is no longer “I can”. Just to be, day after day, when it is really impossible, there is no strength, no health. Do not sleep, do not retreat, do not fall into depression – to be.

Trying to get closer to understanding heroism, I asked my friends and colleagues who they consider today’s heroes (we wrote about those who were named more often than others in this article). It turned out that the real heroes for us are those who show courage every day. Moreover, he considers it impossible to do otherwise. Not sure my nephew will like it. But he learns that there are heroes not only in the fictional world, although they are not always easy to recognize.