On Imperfect Heroes

Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day is a strange thing to be celebrating in America right now, but it’s a good time to think about heroes.

We need heroes. We need ideals to believe in. We need organizations and systems that make us larger than ourselves.

This is always true, but it is particularly true in dark times, when we are called upon to think beyond personal fears and beyond the present.

Sadly, real people are flawed. We grew up idolizing Abraham Lincoln, and while he did seemingly impossible and heroic things, he also supported genocide in the American West.

Organizations of any scale are composed of people, and thus are equally tainted. There is no nation state, religious faith, or political movement without blood on its hands. There is no symbol so pure that it can not be used for evil.

Too often, smart and informed people turn to cynicism. They give up on heroes and ideals, and they take a grim satisfaction in both recognizing and anticipating evil so they won’t be fooled.

Cynicism may be reasonable, but it is the antithesis of hope. As a practical matter, it encourages us to give up on good things because they are not perfect.

We don’t have the answer, and we don’t think there is one right solution, any more than there is one best moral code or political system.

We just know that we could all use some heroes right now, even imperfect ones.