Reflection Essay Sample: Is Heroism a Component of Human Nature

Humans are born with the capacity to adopt anything. Be it a skill or a mindset, heroism is an inevitable attribute of the healthy human. Throughout history, the idealistic Hero has been illustrated differently from culture to culture. However, one defining characteristic can be found everywhere in on form or another: Sacrifice. Whether it is of the of the tangible or the intangible, the compulsion to heroic sacrifice is an aspect of all human beings in the form of instincts or learned morality. 

Heroic instincts are not only observed in the behavior of humans but in that of wild animals as well. When looking at a mothers inclination to put herself in danger to ensure the safety of her children, it is evident that this predisposition is not something conditioned but something that is in us since birth. This idea is evident in the maternal instincts of wild animals. When a cub is in danger, be it from a predator or an indirect threat like that of starvation, the mother of said cub will sacrifice herself in order to provide safety for her young. This sacrifice can be in the form of her own safety or nourishment. Humans also have these parental instincts which can be interpreted as heroism and are in fact also a structural part of our learned morality. 

Another substantial influence in a humans tendency to commit heroic acts is that of morality. Morality is a set of unwritten laws which may different from person to person that dictate what is good and what is consequently, bad. And while the idea of heroics derived from parental instincts was established previously. Once might argue that there is a certain degree of heroism that cannot be contributed to these instincts. This is when one can look to morality and its effect on human behavior. Recognizing the pilots of the highjacked planes during the tragedy of 9/11 or the seemingly impossible task taken on by Harriet Tubman in the 19th century, we often find our selves contemplating the motivations of these great heroes. How could someone put themselves at such a big risk for someone they have no emotional connection to? Some have even gone as far as to willingly dying to spare people they were not even aware of. These unbelievable acts of courage can be contributed solely to the morality instilled in these people through external sources that are inevitably prevalent throughout societies. It is an undeniable fact that heroism breeds heroism. A child can look at their fathers commit any degree of a heroic act and be predisposed to be a hero themselves. In the end, what elevates the hero to this degree are the beliefs they hold which many times are direct products of the society they are born into.

It would also be facetious to omit the obvious rebuttal that history is plagued with individuals that fall very short from a “good person”. While it is true that there are many wrongdoers in this world, this does not prove that heroism is ultimately not a component of human nature. These examples are merely products of the corruption or chemical deviation from natural human behavior. A mother would have to have experiences that conditioned the negligence of her offspring. This is because it is human nature to be willing to sacrifice everything for the wellbeing of your child; further illustrating the instinctive heroism of the natural human.

Understanding the nuance between the degrees of heroism in society and how they are developed. It is evident that to be human and to be heroic is one and the same. And while the extent to which one might be heroic will differ, in the end it is human nature to be a hero.