sacrifice and success heroism essay

Sacrifice in Heroism Essay Example

Although heroes usually wear capes, showing sacrifice is what everyone should picture when they hear the word hero. Picture sacrifice when thinking of heroes because sacrifice is the ultimate form of heroism. Not only do heroes not wear capes, heroes are everyday people risking what they have for what is right.

Heroism is being brave while overcoming challenges, as well as sacrificing what you have. In the poem "A Man" by Nina Cassian, a man loses his arm. This poem shows the man realizing what he can not do anymore but without worry. Although, in the end, it is a good thing. "And where the arm had been torn away a wing grew." (Cassian 75) He shows bravery and sacrifice because he overcame losing his arm without any doubt. Another example of sacrifice is in the article "Soldier Home After Losing His Leg in Afghanistan" by Gale Fiege. This article explains a story of a man that loses his leg while driving over a bomb in Afghanistan. The article explains what he was feeling during physical therapy and the outcome that came with it. Physical therapy was a rough journey for him, "The rehabilitation was rigorous and I pushed it, building back my muscles and learning to use the prosthetic leg." (Fiege 79) He sacrificed his time and effort to get back to 100%. When he was strong enough to walk again, he won the Purple Heart award for overcoming a challenge that came to him in war. This article shows heroism because the man never gave up and overcame an ambitious challenge. Harriet Tubman is another example. Harriet was the woman that saved the majority of slaves from plantations through the underground railroad. The underground railroad was a network of secret tunnels and safe houses underground. Harriet showed bravery by risking her life and saving others by leading them through the underground railroad to freedom. All three of these examples showed heroism because they all sacrificed what they had to help out a bigger problem.

Heroism is about standing for what you believe in. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln was an avid antislavery supporter. Being the president, Lincoln was exposed to lots of slavery and protests about slavery. Lincoln decided to take a stand and put it to an end. Lincoln helped pass the 13th amendment in 1864, ending slavery in America. Lincoln made bright lives for those in the future. "The light of his brightening prospects flashes cheeringly to-day athwart the gloom occasioned by his death..." (Gurley 89). This means that Lincoln impacted people for many years to come. Lincoln showed sacrifice by going against the ways of America and doing what he sought right. On the other hand, Frederick Douglass was a former slave. In 1855 Douglass escaped his plantation and settled in Massachusetts. Douglass published an antislavery newspaper to open the minds of slave owners. Douglass was appointed by Lincoln himself to be his adviser during the Civil War. Later, Douglass was raised to a position in the U.S. government, which was never achieved before by an African American. This played a big role in the African American community, still affecting lives to this day. "...but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.” (Hayden 95) Douglass took a stride towards freedom and he crossed the finish line by not backing down on his beliefs.

Heroism is caring about others over yourself. In my personal life, my parents have shown the most heroism. Almost every single day my parents sacrifice what they have for me. Let it be the food they were going to eat, or maybe they were trying to save money but purchased something I wanted to make me happy. No matter how their day has been, whatever I need my parents are there for me. This exemplifies heroism because they give up what they worked for and let go of what they have so I can be happy. A piece of literature that I have read that shows heroism can be found in Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone. In this book, the three main protagonists, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, are stopped in their path by an oversized board of Wizard's Chest. In the middle of the game, the three get stuck in a situation where the only way to win is through sacrifice. They need to sacrifice Ron's piece, the Knight. Ron realizes what he needs to do and tells his friends that he needs to sacrifice himself. The others beg him not to, but he says, "Harry, it's you who has to go on. I know it. Not me. Not Hermione. You." and proceeds to sacrifice his Knight to let Harry get a checkmate on the King and win the game. This shows heroism because Ron sacrifices himself for the greater good to save his friends and others. My third example of heroism is two YouTubers named Mark Rober and Mr Beast. Instead of focusing on their careers, these two individuals started a funding program called TeamSeas. TeamSeas was designed to take the trash out of the ocean. They made this foundation for poorer countries that do not have the option of recycling, which leads to oceans overflowing with garbage. Every dollar donated to TeamSeas would take one pound of trash out of the ocean. Their goal was $30,000,000 donated, but they surpassed that with around $32,000,000 donated. They showed sacrifice because they took time out of their lives for others in need of help.

As a result, all of these examples take sacrifice to overcome. Instead of doing their everyday things, these heroes decided to sacrifice what they had to make their life, and the lives of others better. Wearing a cape or hiding your identity does not make you a hero. The real heroes are people taking time out of their day for whatever seeks need. In conclusion, heroism is not about getting acknowledgement for what you do but sacrificing what you can not get back.

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Heroes: What They Do & Why We Need Them

A commentary on today's heroes, suffering and sacrifice: the necessary ingredients of heroism.

“Hardships prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary life.” – C.S. Lewis

This article is excerpted from:

Allison, S. T., & Setterberg, G. C. (2016). Suffering and sacrifice: Individual and collective benefits, and implications for leadership. In S. T. Allison, C. T. Kocher, & G. R. Goethals (Eds), Frontiers in spiritual leadership: Discovering the better angels of our nature. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Are pain and suffering destructive experiences to be avoided, or are they opportunities for people to develop an extraordinary life? The wisdom of spiritual philosophies throughout the ages has converged with modern psychological research to produce an answer: Suffering and sacrifice offer profound gains, advantages, and opportunities to those open to such boons.

Our review of the wisdom gleaned from theology and psychology reveals at least six beneficial effects of suffering. These include the idea that suffering (1) has redemptive qualities, (2) signifies important developmental milestones, (3) fosters humility, (4) elevates compassion, (5) encourages social union and action, and (6) provides meaning and purpose.

1. Suffering is Redemptive

Christianity also embraces the redemptive value of suffering. Foremost in the Judeo-Christian tradition is the idea that all human suffering stems from the fall of man (Genesis 1:31). The centerpiece of suffering in the New Testament is, of course, the portrayal of the passion of Christ through the Synoptic Gospels. For Christians, Christ’s suffering served the purpose of redeeming no less than the entire human race, elevating Jesus into the role of the Western world’s consummate spiritual leader for the past two millennia.

Our previous work on the psychology of heroism has identified personal transformation through struggle as one of the defining characteristics of heroic leadership. Nelson Mandela, for example, endured 27 years of harsh imprisonment before assuming the presidency of South Africa. Mandela’s ability to prevail after such long-term suffering made him an inspirational hero worldwide. Desmond Tutu opined that Mandela’s suffering “helped to purify him and grow the magnanimity that would become his hallmark”.

In the field of positive psychology, scholars have acknowledged the role of suffering in the development of healthy character strengths. Positive psychology recognizes beneficial effects of suffering through the principles of posttraumatic growth, stress-related growth, positive adjustment, positive adaptation, and adversarial growth .

A study of character strengths measured before and after the September 11 th terrorist attacks showed an increase in people’s “faith, hope, and love”. The redemptive development of hope, wisdom, and resilience as a result of suffering is said to have contributed to the leadership excellence of figures such as Helen Keller, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, Stephen Hawking, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Shiva Nazar Ahari, Oprah Winfrey, J. K. Rowling, and Ludwig van Beethoven, among others.

2. Suffering Signifies a Necessary “Crossover” Point in Life

Psychologists who study lifespan development have long known that humans traverse through various stages of maturation from birth to death. Each necessary entanglement on the human journey represents painful progress toward becoming fully human, each struggle an opportunity for people to achieve the goal of wholeness. According to Erik Erikson, people must successfully negotiate a specific crisis associated with each growth stage. If mishandled, the crisis can produce suffering, and it is this suffering produces the necessary motivation for progression to the subsequent stage.

A recurring theme in world literature is the idea that people must plummet to physical and emotional depths before they can ascend to new heights. In The Odyssey , the hero Odysseus descends to Hades where he meets the blind prophet Tireseas. Only at this lowest of points, in the depths of the underworld, is Odysseus given the gift of insight about how to become the wise ruler of Ithaca. The Apostles’ Creed tells of Jesus descending into hell before his ascent to heaven. Somehow, the author(s) of the creed deemed it absolutely necessary for Jesus to fall before he could “rise” from the dead.

In eastern religious traditions, such as Hinduism, one encounters the idea that suffering follows naturally from the commission of immoral acts in one’s current or past life. This type of karma involves the acceptance of suffering as a just consequence and as an opportunity for spiritual progress.

The message is clear: we must die, or some part of us must die, before we can live, or at least move forward. If we resist that dying – and most every one of us does – we resist what is good for us and hence bring about our own suffering. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung observed that “the foundation of all mental illness is the avoidance of true suffering .”

Paradoxically, if we avoid suffering, we avoid growth. People who resist any type of dying will experience necessary suffering. Those who resist suffering are ill equipped to serve as the leaders of society. Our most heroic leaders, like Nelson Mandela, have been “through the fire” and have thus gained the wisdom and maturity to lead wisely.

3. Suffering Encourages Humility

Spiritual traditions from around the world emphasize that although life can be painful, a higher power is at work using our circumstances to humble us and to shape us into what he, she, or it wants us to be. C.S. Lewis once noted, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Richard Rohr opines that suffering “doesn’t accomplish anything tangible but creates space for learning and love.” Suffering serves the purpose of humbling us and waking us from the dream of self-sufficiency.

In twelve-step programs, pain, misery, and desperation become the keys to recovery. Step 7 asks program members to “ humbly ask God” to remove personal defects of character (italics added). This humility can only be accomplished by first admitting defeat and then accepting that one cannot recover from addiction without assistance from a higher power. In the end, selflessly serving others – Step 12 — is pivotal in maintaining one’s own sobriety and recovery.

4. Suffering Stimulates Compassion

Suffering also invokes compassion for those who are hurting. Every major spiritual tradition emphasizes the importance of consolation, relief, and self-sacrificial outreach for the suffering. Buddhist use two words in reference to compassion. The first is karuna , which is the willingness to bear the pain of another and to practice kindness, affection, and gentleness toward those who suffer. The second term is metta , which is an altruistic kindness and love that is free of any selfish attachment.

Psychologists have found that just getting people to think about the suffering of others activates the vagus nerve, which is associated with compassion. Having people read uplifting stories about sacrifice increases empathy to the same degree as various kinds of spiritual practices such as contemplation, prayer, meditation, and yoga. Being outside in a beautiful natural setting also appears to encourage greater compassion. Feelings of awe and wonder about the universe and the miracle of life can increase both sympathy and compassion.

Being rich and powerful may also undermine empathic responses. In a series of fascinating studies, researchers observed the behavior of drivers at a busy four-way intersection. They discovered that drivers of luxury cars were more likely to cut off other motorists rather than wait their turn at the intersection. Luxury car drivers were more likely to speed past a pedestrian trying to use a crosswalk rather than let the pedestrian cross the road. Compared to lower and middle-class participants, wealthy participants also showed little heart rate change when watching a video of children with cancer.

These data suggest that more powerful and wealthy people are less likely to show compassion for the less fortunate than are the weak and the poor. Heroic leaders are somehow able to guard against letting the power of their position compromise their values of compassion and empathy for the least fortunate.

5. Suffering Promotes Social Union and Collective Action

Sigmund Freud wrote, “We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love, never so forlornly unhappy as when we have lost our love object or its love.” It is clear that Freud viewed social relations as the cause of suffering. In contrast, the spiritual view of suffering reflects the opposite position, namely, that suffering is actually the cause of our social relations . Suffering brings people together and is much better than joy at creating bonds among group members.

Psychologist Stanley Schachter told his research participants that they were about to receive painful electric shocks. Before participating in the study, they were asked to choose one of two waiting rooms in which to sit. Participants about to receive shocks were much more likely to choose the waiting room with people in it compared to the empty room. Schachter concluded that misery loves company .

Schachter then went a step further and asked a different group of participants, also about to receive the shocks, if they would prefer to wait in a room with other participants who were about to receive shocks, or a room with participants who would not be receiving shocks. Schachter found that participants about to receive shocks much preferred the room with others who were going to share the same fate. His conclusion: misery doesn’t love any kind of company; misery loves miserable company.

Suffering can also mobilize people. The suffering of impoverished Americans during the Great Depression enabled Franklin Roosevelt to implement his New Deal policies and programs. Later, during World War II, both he and Churchill cited the suffering of both citizens and soldiers to promote the rationing of sugar, butter, meat, tea, biscuits, coffee, canned milk, firewood, and gasoline.

In North America, African-Americans were subjugated by European-Americans for centuries, and from this suffering emerged the heroic leadership of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesse Jackson, among others. The suffering of women inspired Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and a host of other heroic activists to promote the women’s suffrage movement.

6. Suffering Instills Meaning and Purpose

The sixth and final benefit of suffering resides in the meaning and purpose that suffering imparts to the sufferer. Many spiritual traditions underscore the role of suffering in bestowing a sense of significance and worth to life. In Islam, the faithful are asked to accept suffering as Allah’s will and to submit to it as a test of faith. Followers are cautioned to avoid questioning or resisting the suffering; one simply endures it with the assurance that Allah never asks for more than one can handle.

For Christians, countless scriptural passages emphasize discernment of God’s will to gain an understanding of suffering or despair. Suffering is endowed with meaning when it is attached to a perception of a divine calling in one’s life or a belief that all events can be used to fulfill God’s greater and mysterious purpose.

The ability to derive meaning from suffering is a hallmark characteristic of heroism in myths and legends. Comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell (1949) discovered that all great hero tales from around the globe share a common structure, which Campbell called the hero monomyth . A key component of the monomyth is the hero’s ability to endure suffering and to triumph over it. Heroes discover, or recover, an important inner quality that plays a pivotal role in producing a personal transformation that enables the hero to rise about the suffering and prevail.

Suffering is one of many recurring phenomena found in classic hero tales. Other phenomena endemic to hero tales include love, mystery, eternity, infinity, God, paradox, meaning, and sacrifice. Richard Rohr calls these phenomena transrational experiences. An experience is considered transrational when it defies logical analysis and can only be understood (or best understood) in the context of a good narrative. We can better understand the underlying meaning of suffering within an effective story.

The legendary poet William Wordsworth must have been intuitively aware of the transrational nature of suffering, sacrifice, and the infinite when he penned the following line: “Suffering is permanent, obscure and dark, and shares the nature of infinity.” Joseph Campbell connected the dots between suffering and people’s search for meaning. According to Campbell, the hero’s journey is “the pivotal myth that unites the spiritual adventure of ancient heroes with the modern search for meaning.”

For an individual or a group to move forward or progress, something unpleasant must be endured (suffering) or something pleasant must be given up (sacrifice). Humanity’s most effective and inspiring leaders have sustained immense suffering, made harrowing sacrifices, or both. These leaders’ suffering and sacrifice set them apart from the masses of people who deny, decry, or defy these seemingly unsavory experiences.

Great heroic leaders understand that suffering redeems, augments, defines, humbles, elevates, mobilizes, and enriches us. These enlightened leaders not only refuse to allow suffering and sacrifice to defeat them; they use suffering and sacrifice as assets to be mined for psychological advantages and inspiration. Individuals who successfully plumb the spiritual treasures of suffering and sacrifice have the wisdom and maturity to evolve into society’s most transcendent leaders.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This article is based on a chapter authored by Scott Allison and Gwendolyn Setterberg, published in ‘ Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership ’, in 2016. The exact reference for the article is:

Allison, S. T., & Setterberg, G. C. (2016). Suffering and sacrifice: Individual and collective benefits, and implications for leadership. In S. T. Allison, C. T. Kocher, & G. R. Goethals, (Eds), Frontiers in spiritual leadership: Discovering the better angels of our nature . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Bibliography

Allison, S. T., & Cecilione, J. L. (2015). Paradoxical truths in heroic leadership: Implications for leadership development and effectiveness. In R. Bolden, M. Witzel, & N. Linacre (Eds.), Leadership paradoxes . London: Routledge.

Allison, S. T., Eylon, D., Beggan, J.K., & Bachelder, J. (2009). The demise of leadership: Positivity and negativity in evaluations of dead leaders. The Leadership Quarterly , 20 , 115-129.

Allison, S. T., & Goethals, G. R. (2008). Deifying the dead and downtrodden: Sympathetic figures as inspirational leaders. In C.L. Hoyt, G. R. Goethals, & D. R. Forsyth (Eds.), Leadership at the crossroads: Psychology and leadership . Westport, CT: Praeger.

Allison, S. T., & Goethals, G. R. (2014). “Now he belongs to the ages”: The heroic leadership dynamic and deep narratives of greatness. In Goethals, G. R., Allison, S. T., Kramer, R., & Messick, D. (Eds.), Conceptions of leadership: Enduring ideas and emerging insights . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces . New World Library.

Cambpell, J. (1971). Man & Myth: A Conversation with Joseph Campbell. Psychology Today , July 1971.

Diehl, U. (2009). Human suffering as a challenge for the meaning of life. International Journal of Philosophy, Religion, Politics, and the Arts , 4(2).

Frankl, V. (1946). Man’s search for meaning . New York: Beacon Press.

Goethals, G. R. & Allison, S. T. (2012). Making heroes: The construction of courage, competence and virtue. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 46 , 183-235. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-394281-4.00004-0

Goethals, G. R., & Allison, S. T. (2016). Transforming motives and mentors: The heroic leadership of James MacGregor Burns . Unpublished manuscript, University of Richmond.

Goethals, G. R., Allison, S. T., Kramer, R., & Messick, D. (Eds.) (2014). Conceptions of leadership: Enduring ideas and emerging insights . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gunderman (2002). Is suffering the enemy? The Hastings Center Report , 32, 40-44.

Hall, Langer, & Martin (2010). The role of suffering in human flourishing: Contributions from positive psychology, theology, and philosophy. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 38 , 111-121.

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3 thoughts on “ suffering and sacrifice: the necessary ingredients of heroism ”.

What a fantastic article! I feel often that people having faced and overcome adversity & pain really “mature” into who they truely are. Food for thoughts for parents (like me & my wife) who are so trying to avoid pain to our children. Now I am not pushing them into pain but I am looking at when they feel pain and show how they can grow from it. Not easy either but great process. thx for sharing your wisedom Thierry http://www.ontheroadtohonesty.com

Thank you for your comment, Thierry. It takes patience to ride out the storm, trusting that good things will result from the pain. I appreciate your sharing.

If life hands you lemons– make lemonade. It’s very true that suffering and sacrifice can build character. It can also make people bitter and cynical. That’s the difference between the heroes and villains, I suppose.

It also raises a disturbing thought. We aspire to create a better world, free of suffering and want– but if that goal is achieved, would it only create a society of shallow and unfeeling reptiles? Is it possible to have it both ways?

Comments are closed.

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Heroism Concept and Its Causes Essay

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A hero can be defined as a person who can show courage and the will for sacrifice despite facing challenges or various weaknesses. Heroism is therefore an act of being able to face challenges by showing courage which makes one successful in the end. Characteristics of a hero include bravery, perseverance, courage, dedication, selflessness, determination, sacrifice, and courage among others. Bravery is the most important characteristic. One has to be brave to stand up for a cause. A person has to be courageous to fight a situation no matter how hard it is. One has to show determination to push for something no matter how weak they are. On the other hand, selflessness comes up whereby a person does not necessarily have to receive the benefits of their rewards. Valour is whereby the individual has the strength of spirit that enables him to encounter danger with firmness. On dedication, the person has to give oneself fully for the fight. An individual also has to sacrifice some of the things that are dear to him to achieve his goal. A hero also has to be humble and stand with others and not above them.

Causes of heroism include empathy, courage, respect for human life compassion, physical and moral courage, self-esteem, confidence in the ability to prevail, impulsive and risk-taking behavior, spirituality, and sensation seeking. All these may motivate a person to pursue a cause despite the dangers that their actions may involve.

The concept of heroism in ancient Greek is different from the ideologies we have about heroes today. A heroin ancient Greek was supposed to be someone religious; mainly a dead person who had received cult honors and came back to bring prosperity in the society in form of the fertility of animals and plants. First, a hero had to suffer during his lifetime and die significantly. After the death, the person was to receive immortalization in songs and cults. Just like the modern world view of heroism, in ancient Greek, a hero had to struggle against fear of death to be able to achieve a perfect death. The perfect moment of a hero’s death was then recorded in a song known as kleos. These were songs of fame and glory to give them festivals and worship as a way of compensating for his death (Burkert 1985). These forms of honors were given to the dead hero since society could not completely compensate for what he had done for them. However, the honors did not cease; they were performed seasonally in remembrance of the hero and to show him that his spirit will forever live in the society. Historically, heroes were great warriors.

The modern fiction of heroism is more of a fantasy feature. This is because a hero is an ordinary person who in extraordinary circumstances despite all the odds manages to save the life of people or stop something from happening. This can be seen in most movies and stories. A hero must exhibit characteristics like superhuman strength which will make them endure all the suffering and pain (Campbell 1949). There must be evil or danger that the hero is fighting against and in the end, concurs and that is what makes a hero.

The Hero Effect can be good or dangerous since there is nothing you can do to stop it. It is always something that a person possesses. Being present to experience someone’s greatness can help to create sense in a person. A person can see the strength he/she possesses hence will develop courage after developing the thought that he is ready to attack life with great power and passion. This means that heroes can positively or negatively affect people. A person can gain power, strength, and courage for being close to a hero’s heroism. People can develop strength from heroes especially when they leave in the same environment with the hero which shows the effects of heroism. Someone who is attempting great things in life beyond their status quo whereby they take impossible odds and have a great attitude amidst everything can succeed if he leaves with a hero. His presence will give the person the strength he needs to succeed. The presence of a hero can make a person foster in risky environments, become passionate and develop a spirit of conquering. This means that heroes whether they are loud or quiet will always tend to produce the Hero Effect in the surroundings they are in; they make other people heroes. Anyone who acts heroically can create a Hero Effect on other people.

Some of the benefits of heroism are that it creates fame and respect. In the past and even in the society we are leaving in today, heroes are respected by everyone. They are shown love everywhere they go. Someone who has done an extraordinary thing in society always becomes famous since everyone desires to know who saved them or how courageous enough the hero was to pass a particular test. For example, in the modern world, someone who has battled a particular disease like cancer can be considered a hero. Usually, they are broadcasted in the media to the public to act as an example; someone who is worth being like. They become an inspiration to the sick people suffering from the same disease to have faith and courage to fight the disease (Allison 2010).

There are also dangers of heroism. Heroes are always expected to be great and be readily available to help at all times. Society usually expects so much from them. Any form of failure will be a great disappointment to society. Heroes are expected to be courageous and stay strong all the time. This always puts pressure on the life of a hero making his life hard. Mostly, such heroes may include those who attained heroism after saving people’s life or winning a tough task. The fame that comes with heroism can be disturbing at times. Heroes are always followed by the press and that denies them the chance to have a quiet peaceful private life. All the information concerning their lives is known by the public. Most of the time, they always have crowds of people around them who want to take a picture or sign a paper for them.

In conclusion, heroism involves having courage, more moral and mental strength to persevere, venture and withstand fear, difficulty, and danger. Heroes always have firmness of mind and that is why they always have a hero effect in them. Courage and compassion can motivate a person to pursue a cause despite the dangers that their actions may involve making them heroes at the end of the task. Heroism creates fame but at the same time can be very dangerous to the hero himself.

Allison, S. (2010). Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them . Virginia: Oxford University Press . Web.

Burkert, W. (1985). The dead, heroes and chthonic gods. Cambridge : Harvard University Press . Web.

Campbell, J. (1949). The Hero with a Thousand Faces . Princeton: Princeton University Press. Web.

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