Definition of a Hero and the List of Achievements - Article Example

Definition of a hero Being a hero is a sense of pride to an individual and therefore heroes enjoys great honors and respect from the people aware of their importance in the society. A hero is someone with great achievements and features that people admire. These features and activities come because of extra ordinary decisions and actions of an individual. Heroes exist in different types according to their admirable actions, for examples there are heroes who gain their fame in wars, sports, life occasions and political institutions. It is worth noting that heroes do not lead the same kind of lifestyle; there are those who lead simple life and those who serve in top positions in the government, non-governmental institutions and other reputable organizations. There are conditions that mould heroes and gain them fame among the people (Walton 68). The conditions may sometimes be seen unsolvable but it depends with how the individuals involved solve and reside over them and the decisions they make under the circumstances are what make them important figures in the sight of the people. Being a hero differs from being a celebrity in such a way that a hero is strictly someone without negative traits and is always on the supportive side of life concerning the conditions of the people. A celebrity is just a famous individual who gains his fame from different activities of which some may be illegal like terror acts, illegal businesses and other immoral activities (Bolden 46). Heroes do face strong challenges before they happen to be the reference figures for the society (Levi 68). The challenges drive them to their extra ordinary and admirable conclusions. Many heroes around the globe have great influence in the lives of the people and many admire their strengths. The people who become heroes in the society exhibit some valuable characteristics in common. These characteristics are; determination, perseverance, ambition and courage. According to my definition and description of a hero, there is one person who has greatly changed the perception of people about political leadership world especially the black race (Africans). He is the incumbent president of the United States of America. Obama is an African-America with a Kenyan origin. His father was a Kenyan and spent a big part of his life in the United States of America where he married an American woman. Obama was born in America where he grew up to become a full-fledged man. Obama challenged many Africans by vying for the senate seat in the US parliament but this was not a great challenge to the Africans since it seemed normal to many of them. He then gave the African society a great challenge and inspiration when he vied for the presidential seat in the US. This seemed impossible to many since they knew that he had African roots and being accepted by the white people would be a big dream. This was because he was in the race with a white American, and did not have a reputable background. America, being a large nation and a super power that required able leadership, made it impossible for many people from the African race to believe in his step in life. He was aware of all these challenges but believed in destiny and never gave up on his dream of becoming the 44th president of the United States of America and fulfilling the prophecies of some great scholars like Martin Luther King. According to the characteristics mentioned above in the explanation of a hero, Obama is a hero since he possesses all the features of a hero. His first trait is determination, Obama was determined to win the presidential election and become the 44th president of the US and to develop the economy of the nation. He handled all the challenges that came his way and took an opportunity in them, an action that helped him win the election. The dream developing and maintaining a sustainable economy did not die and he achieved this while in office (Greenstein 73). This also justifies the saying he used in his slogan in the campaign trail to make the people believe that America was able to make a change. The saying was; “yes we can”. His second trait is that he is courageous; Obama was courageous in the sense that he stood firm during his campaigns and did not fear to reveal his lust for ruling America to the members of the public despite America being a large nation and black aspirant. This trait gave him popularity and trust among the people. His third trait is that he is strong, many heroes exhibit this trait and he falls among them in the sense that he has stood strong in ruling America, which is a large nation faced by many challenges from different sectors of the government due to the large administrative system. Despite Obama’s achievement of being the president of the United States of America and serving for the second time, he has also won the most honored award of the ‘Nobel peace prize’. He won the award because of different reasons that have also reflected his heroic features to the people (Zents 76). The first reason was his endless and unusual efforts of enhancing diplomacy, peace and cooperation among nations and people in the world. The second reason for this award was his achievement of developing a new and better base for the global politics by promoting peaceful co-existence and cooperation among countries in the world. The third reason for this award was his dream of living in a world free from dangerous arms like the nuclear weapons, which are very destructive with long-term effect on human life. This reveals another heroic trait he exhibits. The trait here is that he is caring, and this can be proved by his relentless efforts in discouraging the use of nuclear weapons. This has brought safety to many people in the world and it means that he cares for humankind. He has also been a hero to the Americans since he has met the majority of things he promised the Americans during his campaigns and his achievements are more than those of the previous American presidents. Some of the achievements include; The improvement of security: He has improved the security of the US nation by passing laws on the handling of arms and by settling disputes between the nation and other nations in a peaceful manner. Boosting of healthcare: He has done this through signing many health acts that are mainly aimed at improving health services in the US nation and through improving the health facilities of the military. Improvement of education sector: he has done this by safeguarding almost 300,000 jobs for teachers and other teaching personnel through signing of the ‘recovery act’. He has also done this by federally aiding the research programs carried by different government organizations. Improvement of gender equality: this is one of the most loud achievements cemented by president Barrack Obama. He has done this by appointing many female officials to operate in his cabinet. It is clear that in the history of America, it is only in his government where majority of the cabinet officials are female (Zents 79). This has enhanced diversity in the government posts. Improvement of tourism: His government has done this by funding various sectors of tourism like the national parks. This has allowed for proper maintenance of the tourism sector and has improved the security of tourists and increasing their numbers. Therefore, tourism has also contributed to the American economy due to the support from his government. Improvement of infrastructure: His government has done this by constructing and repairing transport channels like bridges and roads that their conditions have been ignored for time by the previous governments. This has made movement easy within both major and minor towns hence reducing traffic difficulties. Improvement of essential amenities: his government has improved amenities like water and electricity supply in the rural by funding the projects. This has helped in improving the lifestyles of the people living in the rural. The list of the achievements of president Barrack Obama as the leader of the US government is endless. The achievements have made him a special figure in the sight of the American citizens. The achievements of his government also reveal some special qualities and characteristics about him. Actually, president Barrack Obama has become a very special international figure in the sectors of administration and unity. All those who want to be future leaders are supposed to learn from his qualities as a leader, his dreams to be a leader and his determination since he is a reference figure to many people in all nations around the globe. His characteristics and actions have influenced the lives of many people around the world and made them to see him as a distinct person since they admire his qualities and many longing to be like him. His traits have justified the definition of a hero hence serving as a motivation point for other upcoming leadership of the black race. This is a total proof that everything is achievable regardless of the race or ethnic background. Work Cited Levi, Antonia. "The New American Hero: Made in Japan." The soul of popular culture: Looking at contemporary heroes, myths, and monsters (1998): 68-83. Zents, Zents K. .President Obama: Hero or Villain of Capitalism: Economic Wars of Obama. Korloki Pub Co, 2012. Print. Walton, Hanes. Letters to President Obama: Americans Share Our Hopes and Dreams with the First African-American President. New York: Skyhorse Pub, 2009. Print. Greenstein, Fred I. The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from Fdr to Barack Obama. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. Bolden, Richard, Beverley Hawkins, and Jonathan Gosling. Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Perspectives. Oxford: OUP Oxford, 2011. Internet resource. Read More