Introduction
How do you recognize a Hero? What does a Hero do?
Although there are many definitions of a Hero, this site focuses on
people who have dedicated their lives to peace and nonviolence - Peacemakers. The
lives of the people described on these pages exemplify the many facets
of peacemaking and constructive conflict management. Our
goal is to provide resources that identify these Heroes and describe
what this type of Hero is like, what they do, where they live, and
more. .
Hero Diversity
Heroes take on a wide range of appearances.
We can find Heroes among the young and the elderly. There are female
and male Heroes. Heroes can be found in every country in the
world. They can be indigenous or immigrants. Heroes can be found
in any occupation. They can be found in any political affiliation. Heroes
can have any social or economic status - from a humble monastic servant
to a wealthy world leader. Heroes can have diverse religious
backgrounds. Hero Commonality
Heroes also share much in common.
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Albert John Lutuli (AL) |
Mahatma
Gandhi (MG) |
Aung
San Suu Kyi (SK) |
Upon examining the lives of three acknowledged Heroes / Role Models /Peacemakers, we discover their common characteristics. We find that despite their diversity, these three Heroes had many personal characteristics in common as summarized in the outline below. |
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(Expandable Outline Format - View items of interest) [Instructions: Double Click folders to view more detailed characteristics] |
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| We observe
that being from a specific culture or a specific religion is
irrelevant – there are peacemakers from diverse cultures
and all world religions. This is not to say that culture and
religion are not critical elements of a peacemaker’s background
and foundation. In fact, we find culture, heritage, and
religion play a key role in a Hero’s approach to managing
conflict within a specific context /circumstances /surroundings. In general, these heroes had a profound understanding of the culture / religion of the people with whom they interacted – AND we can observe that they did not attempt to impose their nonviolence styles outside this realm of intimate understanding – e.g. Suu Kyi did not attempt to impose her Burmese / Buddhist perspectives on others outside Burma. Lutuli did not attempt to impose his South African / Christian perspectives on others outside South Africa. These Heroes did not approach peace oppressively. Heroes demonstrate their sincere commitment to basic human rights. Their disciplined adherence to nonviolence helps relieve the fears of the oppressor. These heroes seemed to have a keen awareness of the injustices within their society and had courage to speak out for the oppressed. Our heroes advocate freedom and democracy as ideals. Each of these heroes used their personal power to become involved within their societies as political leaders, educators, role models, and peacemakers. Their intimate knowledge and respect for the culture/ beliefs of the oppressed helped them communicate their visions, goals, and objectives in terms that could be understood. They also demonstrated an intimate knowledge of the oppressors that gave them insights into the overall problem and its solutions. Their commitment to their cause consumed their lives and minimized concerns of personal risk – they exhibited “fearlessness” in the face of danger.. Finally, we recognize that Heroes are real people, not perfect, not infalliable, not immortal, but nevertheless constructive role models. For more details on the derivation of these "heroic characteristics" see.... Heroic Characterisitics (HTML Format) Heroic Characterisitics(PDF Format) Heroic Characterisitics(Word Format) |
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