Smallville and the Foundations of Heroism
The moral case for recognizing the foundations of heroism.
Author’s Note: This is a preview of the next big project that I’ve been writing. It’s meant to give you an overall flavour of how the longer form series is going to go which will be released starting in November for paying subscribers. This is also the beginning of delaying the release. My first exclusive piece will probably be out in February 2024, marking the beginning of my 4th year on Substack.
Heroes don't just happen.
We like to think that they do but they don't. Our idea of what a hero is often comes from the way in which we talk about them. Someone intervened in a crucial, dangerous moment and rescued something or someone really important. Not in the sense of a person with power or influence, or an object like that. More in the sense of an emotional connection we create. A family or one member of it who was trapped due to circumstances beyond their control like a house fire or a crime in progress. You rush in and save them and people call you a hero for it. But is that what a hero really is? Most people would agree that taking an action like that is certainly heroic in nature. Putting yourself at risk for others does inspire people in some sense for sure.
However at the same time, almost everyone struggles to even do that when the time comes. They prefer to let someone else do it instead. Usually a fire fighter or police officer who is paid and trained to rescue other people. In part because it's not something you're willing to do. That's why you pay emergency responders to do it, and hopefully you pay them a lot. You pay them to care about others and react as soon as humanly possible. Hopefully saving people along the way. This too is considered heroic and with good reason. Deciding to deal with crises for a living is noble and worthy of praise for acts of bravery. Although for some, the “for a living part” is something of a sticking point. Someone who is paid to be a hero could easily be paid not to be a hero. It's the making money part that feels less than heroic and somehow ruins the act of bravery for people.
Yet there are few people in the world who could in fact be the kind of person who is heroic just for the sake of it. Not for money or for praise. Just because they believe in helping people so they can do the right thing. Everyone needs to eat and have a place to live. There has to be some room for compromise in the heroism department. Maybe getting a job somewhere which doesn't require you to be paid to be a hero yet still helps you be one. Like being a journalist or something. Hero by day, reporter by night. That makes a certain amount of sense. The journey to get there though is incredibly difficult. Only a true hero could in fact do it. Someone who is truly committed and has worked hard to get there.
Smallville is at its core about what it takes to get to such a place as a person. Clark Kent, as played brilliantly by Tom Welling, didn't become a hero overnight. He didn't just wake up one day and decide to save people. He started off in a much easier place, with his friends and family. It's only over time that he recognizes the potential for him to do it in a much broader way. To truly be a force for good, not for profit or for praise, but for the belief that what's right is always good. Even if it takes a long time to get there. He had to build the foundations underneath him so that he knows without question that he's making a difference, whether he can see it or not.
As a result, he can become a symbol we all need. A source of hope for those of us who might not know how to be a hero in the moment. Clark shows us the way though.
Do yourself a favour and explore the foundations of heroism today by checking out Smallville as soon as you can.
Smallville is available on Max and Hulu in the United States and Amazon Prime.