The Dangers of Hero Worship

My boys dressed as superheroes

As the youngest child in a family of seven, I had a big dose of hero worship of my older siblings. I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I joined cross country and Spanish when I entered high school like my other four siblings. After running in the back of the pack in cross country for a season, I realized it was not for me--even if my older brother could be a state champion--I wasn't. But I followed in my siblings' steps in other areas. I realized disappointment when I didn't meet those goals.

I was upset with myself because I didn't win the Foreign Language Sterling Scholar competition like my sister had. I was only a runner-up. I had done some of the same projects my sister had done. I felt like I didn't measure up. I had put my sister's example on a pedestal, and in so doing, I could only reach that pedestal if the judges in the competition chose me. I had let my worth be decided by someone else. But my worth was divine as a child of God. The experience helped me win other scholarships and job opportunities.

When my family didn't meet my ideals of hero worship, I judged them more harshly. I felt like each of my siblings had a talent except my closest brother in age to me. He really likes animals and we could play imaginary worlds as children. As teenagers, we both struggled through our mental illnesses. I was very angry with him because he didn't meet my ideal. He fell short of the hero worship of my other siblings. Which I recognized was very unfair to compare him.

I try not to hold people on pedestals anymore because it is an unfair place to put them. They will only fall because they are human. Everyone has flaws. The only perfect person is Jesus Christ. And people still argue about his divinity and purpose.

First Responders and PTSD

As a society, I see us put soldiers, police, and firemen on pedestals as heroes. They have sacrificed their lives and mental health for us. There needs to be a balance of where we put these men and women in honoring them. They are heroes as long as they have acted honorably. Some have and some haven't. Most I have met are good men and women.

Some have PTSD as a result of their service. This can make them rougher around the edges. After a major accident in my family, one first responder made an insensitive comment online that parents should always be watching their children. While the sentiment is true, it is also physically impossible. The sense of hypervigilance derives from PTSD, I believe, from seeing so many preventable deaths. However, it isn't humanly possible to prevent all accidents. We live in entropy. But I thank God this first responder and the others were there for my family. That first responder is a human and a hero rolled into one.

Police and the Law

Police are really in an impossible situation. Either they are put on a pedestal above everyone else, or they are denigrated as scum. I am very disappointed in media that disparages our police force, or the media that idolizes them. Either way, a target is on their back. Just treat them as humans.

We have put police in legal status above the average citizen. They can seize our property under drug laws, which violates the illegal search and seizure at its heart. Also, a few police have unjustly killed  and not been punished when the killing was unjustified. Occasionally, it has been murder. But the punishment for their crimes should be the same as regular citizens. Police are not above or below the rest of us. They are equal to the average citizen. I respect the humble police men and women who follow the Constitution and simply fulfill their jobs.

Often, I believe police are scared and overreact, like Amber Guyger who entered the wrong apartment. She made a deadly mistake killing Botham Jean. I believe she needs jail time like she is getting, but she also has compassion where she only be there for a few years. I feel so bad everyone involved. The brother and the judge were loving in her case. The judge still remained fair, in my opinion. There is no way to bring back Botham Jean. This is where spirituality steps in.

Religious Pedestals

In religious settings, we can easily put religious leaders on pedestals. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe that we have a living Prophet and Apostles who have revelation from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We also have many local leaders like bishops, relief society leaders and stake presidents. Each person can have revelation over their area of people they take care of. These people are also human and have their own opinions. They have made mistakes in their lives. Sometimes, members put them on pedestals and feel betrayed when a leader has flaws. As a young adult, I remember someone telling me that my bishop had done so many wild things when he was younger. So, I thought, my bishop had repented. He wasn't secretive about it.

In some ways, Latter-day Saints have put Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this restoration, on a pedestal. We don't worship him, but he is an important figure in our history. We teach so much about him seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in 1820, translating the Book of Mormon and restoring Jesus' Church. Some people are really hurt when they discover Joseph Smith's polygamy or his other aspects or flaws. Since my mom researched family history daily, I heard about Joseph Smith's multiple wives and their ages as a preteen. My family discussed Joseph Smith's sealings to different women as a normal topic, so I was surprised that other members never knew about it when I was older. I realized that I had met the human Joseph as a child, so I was okay with him. He didn't fall from a pedestal as far in my eyes, as he has for others.

I try to view each prophet and apostle as a person as they come. I've seen through the history of almost 200 years of the Church policies change and reverse. In my 30+ years, stances have softened or become stricter in some areas. "Mormon" goes from being okay to being victory for Satan. I just view it as not preferred usage anymore by the Lord. Okay, I'll follow the prophet on this one. I still use Mormon sometimes to refer to my religion, but I am making a slow effort to phase it out.

Historical Figures

We regularly cycle through who are current historical figures should be according to society's whims on any year. People judge them through the lens of the present (presentism). There are advances in the present that are better than the past, but some are just different in the neutral sense. We can't necessarily apply our morals on a different society, but apply what morals they had in their time period. We have to recognize that most humans are a mix of good and bad, spiritual and physical manifest in one being. We let God be their judge.

I believe we can take lessons from the past without putting specific people on a pedestal or dragging them through the mud. Simply treat them as regular people.

More Information on Joseph Smith Polygamy by FairMormon