“A hero is someone who gives his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”
Joseph Campbell
Whether we like it or not, the culture wars are here to stay. Online thinker Sarah Haider predicts that, “the inevitable consequence of conquering nature is that we will be left with only ourselves, each other, and the stories we tell to bring meaning and significance into our lives.” Narratives compete in battle one with another to claim psychological ground; to establish reality. Our defence against cultural attacks is to first know our values and principles and let them be the foundation. It helps to have an exemplar. A prototype.
We often venerate physical prowess and bravery. Kobe hits the game winner, and Ali knocks out Frazier. Firefighters carry old ladies out of burning buildings, and soldiers storm beaches against all odds. My personal childhood fantasy of heroism involved me taking a bullet for someone. To be a hero, I imagined I had to sacrifice my own body for the betterment of someone else. While physical heroism is still needed occasionally in our current day, the archetypical hero needed in the 21st century shows psychological strength by staying true to their ideals. Gandhi brought down an empire with psychological strength and tactics, not by physical might. Dr. Martin Luther King inspired a nation without throwing a single punch at a racist police officer, as much as they may have deserved it. These are the types of heroes needed in the war over culture and collective identity.
Heroes also need to be self-determined actors, not someone who repeats simplified talking points and always falls in line. Like many psychological self-defence strategies, there is an order of balance between the power of the group and the freedom of being an individual. Psyops prey on both our compulsion to stay together and our desire for freedom and self-determination, so finding a middle ground between the two conflicting values will help you from being manipulated. This is achieved through self chosen discipline that is developed gradually. The leash is off, but you still recognize the wisdom in sticking close to home most of the time. You want to identify with your community while maintaining your sense of self and you want to be loyal to the group without being compelled. Meerlo called it spontaneous loyalty.
What are heroes but characters in a drama upon whom we bestow the highest status. Recall that we tend to accrue and confer status through games of dominance, virtue, and success. We could hypothesize that the person with the highest social score in each of those dimensions would have the highest status and would be the hero. Paradoxically, the best way to signal your high status is not to win the status game but to demonstrate that you no longer need to even play it. Like, “I’m so rich I don’t need to impress anyone with fancy clothes anymore. I can afford to dress plainly.” Status games have rules and what’s better than winning is transcending the game to the point that you don’t even need to follow the rules anymore.
Upon whom do we bestow the most status? Who are the heroes of our day? We can consult the Time magazine person of the year honour, although ironically the status of Time itself has taken a hit to the point that maybe it’s not much of an honour anymore. The most recent honourees are Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Kamala Haris, and Greta Thunberg, but if we examine the overall public opinion of these individuals I’m not sure any of them enjoy more adoration than criticism. In the 20th century we had figures like Einstein, Gandhi, and Muhammad Ali, who, at least in memoriam, maintain high levels of status across the population.
Unfortunately in society we honour yesterday’s troublemakers and rebels after they are dead because they can no longer cause trouble. Those who push boundaries now are called quacks and conspiracy theorists. We honour conformity in the present. So a hero is one who boldly goes first. The hero moves forwards not knowing whether they will be a giant or a scapegoat. That is what makes them so heroic.
Allow me to indulge myself by offering some candidates for the title of 21st century hero. Lex Fridman is a computer scientist, A.I. researcher, and teacher at MIT. He has worked for google and his work has been published in prestigious peer reviewed journals. He has a blackbelt under Relson Gracie in brazilian jiu jitsu and he is a classically trained pianist and guitar player. He is certainly in the top echelon of the skill and competence status game. He is also gaining incredible influence with his podcast and Youtube channel where he has interviewed the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Ray Dalio, and Noam Chomsky. Still in his 30s, he has inserted himself into the inner circles of some of the most powerful people on the planet. Despite this surge in prestige and power, he demonstrates a commitment to love and kindness. He has the ability to challenge a guest like Jordan Peterson without alienating him or his fans. He is Russian born with friends and family in Ukraine and has broached the current conflict with an open mind and grace without being an apologist for any of the horrors committed there. He doesn’t know me, but I have listened to him in conversation more than most people I know in real life, so I feel like I know him to some extent and in my limited opinion, I find him to be a man of virtue. I have no problems aspiring to be more like Lex Fridman. He deserves all the status his ego can handle.
Coleman Hughes is another person that I would call a friend if it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t know me from Adam. He is most known for his impactful writing, his anti-conformist views on race, and his successful podcast. He has had pieces published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Quillette. I have been following him for almost five years and he is only 26 years old. His ability to deliver convincing arguments that go against the current orthodoxy proves him to be a fearless and responsible influencer. He is climbing the ranks in the power status game, whether he wants to or not. Aside from his superb writing he is also an accomplished professional musician. He plays in a jazz band and has recorded a number of rap songs. Richard Feynam proclaimed that it’s, “a lot better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.” Coleman has shown incredible courage and poise as he expresses unpopular but logically sound ideas. Coleman Hughes is a hero in my eyes.
All that being said, I must do all I can to make sure I do not drown in the cult of Lex Fridman or Coleman Hughes. As important as it is to have heroes we must also maintain a healthy skepticism and critical outlook. Here are a few ways to tell that your hero is not a grifting guru. 1) They don’t ask you for money or at least egregious amounts of money. Supporting your favourite substack writers for $5/month is one thing but if they are asking you for thousands of dollars to be a part of their special insider’s club then your hero is might be starting a cult. 2) They have people around them who don’t care that they are famous who can keep them grounded. A 21st century hero continually exposes themselves to challenging opinions and is not in a silo. 3) Heroes don’t punish people for leaving their team. Nobody likes to be rejected or broken up with but a true hero understands that people think for themselves. They would not try to destroy someone for disagreeing with them. And finally, 4) pay attention to how you defend them. Most public figures receive undeserving scorn so it’s ok to come to their defence but sometimes we deified our favourite celebrities so much that criticism of them sounds to us like blasphemy, in which case you don’t have a hero anymore, you have a god. Just leave Britney alone!
At a whole nother scale of heroism, are the truly bold and courageous examples who don’t garner enough status like activist Masih Alinejad and the brave women and men in Iran protesting after the death of Mahsa Amini. Masih puts her life on the line every day she wakes up. She has dedicated her life, whether she is eventually martyred or not, to improving the lives of women in Iran and worldwide. I don’t know her entire history or every opinion she holds, in fact I’m sure she has some kind of skeleton in her closet or cringe opinion that I wouldn’t like, but when it comes to her courage in the face of authoritarian rule, she has my vote for 21st Century Hero. Heroes use their skills and energy to contribute to a cause greater than themselves. Like the community health workers in Yemen doing their best to give basic care in the most dangerous and war torn place on the planet (yes that includes Ukraine but since the Saudis are allies with the U.S. -at least on paper- we don’t hear about their atrocities). The 21st century hero stands against oppression even when it does not give you status or advancement to do so.
Well.done. I like this, a lot!