Let’s be realistic. Suppose we define a hero by the standards of television and movies today. In that case, a hero must wear some form of spandex, a cape and have at least one of the following skills: super speed, super strength, psychic ability, super senses, mad fighting skills, the ability to fly, the ability to melt metal with their eyes, shoot sticky threads from your wrists, drive metal blades from your knuckles, have a magic hammer, or talk in a hoarse whisper when you tell the criminal who you really are.
It’s unfortunate. We define heroes as something we can only become if we have one of the previously listed skills. My concern is that we may have a generation who will look to someone else to solve the problems of the day or the moment because heroes must be superheroes.
When I was at Amazon, we had a “come to work dressed as your hero” day. I came as my father. I wore a golf cap with a sticker on the front that said, “Hi, I’m Frank Griffin,” for that was his introduction to everyone. I wore his favorite style button-up sweater and corduroy pants. I already had his hairline and my own prescription glasses, so it was an easy transformation for me. One of the Senior leadership members stopped me and asked me who I was. When I told him, he said, “That’s cheating.” He went on to say that I was supposed to dress as a superhero.
I looked at the Senior in his Incredible Hulk costume and replied, “I did. So, you wanted me to dress as a fictional character who never showed any of the attributes I see in a real hero?” He didn’t reply, but I’m sure he didn’t care much for me after that encounter.
Are there heroes in The Accidental World? Absolutely. But these heroes aren’t defined by gender, age, or perfection. They are just like us, with their own set of flaws. Yet, they are committed, loyal, trustworthy, and self-sacrificing. They possess a strong character, and their decisions are instinctive. They don’t spend days analyzing, trying to find the perfect answer, or the one that will help their polling numbers. They just know what needs to be done, and they take action. This is the kind of heroism that we can all aspire to.
So, if your kind of hero comes from the pages of a comic book you might not like The Accidental World. But if you decide to read it, I promise you, there is no spandex, or capes (apart from those used in inclement weather) anywhere in the six books series.
Good Reading to you!
K.A. Griffin
