Captain America

My thoughts on Captain America

I wrote the following when the major motion picture Captain America: The First Avenger came out in 2011.

Throughout the institutionalized education us westerners are mandated to participate in, we are often asked the question "Who is your hero?". I have often found it difficult to answer such a question, because it depends on what one defines as a hero. If a hero is simply a person that one looks up to, then there are myriad of people both fictional and real that many of us could name. I, however, believe that this definition is rather spartan and requires a more in-depth discussion necessitating a look into certain characteristics which I shall discuss below.

In order to explain my own personal views regarding the definition of a hero, I shall invoke the example of a recent figure depicted in the motion pictures. This figure is none other than the fictional but nevertheless valiant, Captain America. Originally intended as a fictional hero to inspire a nation against the evils of the Axis forces, his role in the minds of the recent generations have far exceeded the intentions of the original creators. We must understand, therefore, that there are ideals that Captain America embody which have proven to be timeless.

One of the characteristics that Captain America has displayed is his will to do good unto the world. Rather than fighting Nazis with anger and vengeance, he proves his mettle by stating that his reasons for going to war is simply to suppress the suppressors; An honourable cause for war if there ever was one. When knocked down, Captain America has the will and the belief in the necessity to stand up again. For as Theodore Roosevelt once said "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, for there is no effort without error and shortcoming."

Captain America may not represent my country, nor may he represent yours; but one thing that he does represent is the spirit within all of us to accomplish something worthwhile. How long have we lived our lives striving to achieve success? How long have we tried to define ourselves by following the expectations of the world? Our bodies are mortal, and our lives are short (unlike Captain America's). And so I leave you all with this quote of his:

"Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world - 'No, you move.'"