Is heroism defined by one great act?
Covid-19 might be a villain with global ambitions but it’s certainly not without its nemeses. The notion of the hero has become a global motif. In Thailand, artists have launched an online campaign dubbed ‘Support Our Heroes’, while in the US the Democrats have proposed a premium pay scheme for essential workers called the ‘Heroes Fund’.
Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University in California says that: “heroism is the best [quality] in human nature, an ideal we can all aspire to. Lately the conception of the hero has probably become diluted – it’s being applied to, say, people who buy the groceries for their neighbour. That’s altruism. That’s being decent. But I think the current Covid crisis will throw more definitive ideas of heroism into the spotlight.”
