In the 1970s, singer/guitarist George Benson performed the song “The Greatest Love of All” for the soundtrack of the movie The Greatest, about the boxing icon Muhammad Ali. (Later, the late Whitney Houston remade the tune.) According to the song, Ali never found anyone to fulfill his needs for a hero, so he learned to depend upon himself. “I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadows,” Benson sings. “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all,” Benson relates.
It is not entirely true that Ali never had heroes. After all, he admitted that he idolized boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson and was influenced by his boxing style. In any case, many people profess to have no heroines or heroes , and others claim that there simply have been no genuine heroines or heroes in the world for decades. However, this is utter nonsense. As long as there are human beings there will be a need for heroism, and there will always be people to fill that need.
Not everyone needs heroines and heroes. Moreover, many people who have heroines and heroes simply look to their parents and others in their lives. However, there is nothing wrong with having famous heroines and heroes. What is wrong is worshipping them.
Years ago, I appeared on a radio program, and let it be known that Malcolm X was the greatest hero of my life. However, I also let it be known that I disagreed with Malcolm on a major issue. The hostess of the radio program was surprised that I could not agree with everything that Malcolm represented. I told her, “He was my hero, not my God.” Sadly, for many people, there is no such distinction.
Even when heroine or hero worship is relatively benign, it is highly problematic. For example, many biographers are so smitten by their subjects that they write hagiographies rather than definitive biographies. Many readers said that such was the case with reactionary scholar Dinesh D’Souza’s glowing biography of the late Jerry Falwell. That is why it was refreshing to learn that rock superstar Bruce Springsteen allowed his most recent biographer access into his world on one condition: that he would not worship him or try to hide his flaws.
When some people worship their heroines or heroes, they put themselves in precarious situations. For example, many people have been sexually abused or assaulted by individuals they looked up to as heroes. What is worse, some of those heroes have sexually abused young children, only to have their devotees look the other way or try to rationalize their crimes.
Heroine or hero worship can be extremely irrational and dangerous. Many Muslims, for all intents and purposes, worship Muhammad as though he were God. They tolerate no perceived insult to “the Prophet.” They threaten, riot and kill in his name.
Members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) killed Malcolm X for allegedly blaspheming their leader, “the Honorable” Elijah Muhammad. They referred to their leader as “the Messenger” and worshipped him as though he were Allah. All of his pronouncements immediately became the official policy of the NOI.
With death often comes the deification of heroines and heroes. Jesus Christ, if he truly existed, was nothing more than a human being. However, Christians have come to worship him as the Son of God, and for most Christians, one with the Heavenly Father. People have reported sightings of Elvis Pressley since his death. After the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee, for years, many of his fans believed he was actually hiding on a secret island making the greatest martial arts film of all time. When the superstar rapper Tupac Shakur died, many of his fans believed he was still alive. Members of the NOI believe that Elijah Muhammad, who died in 1975, is alive and well on “a wheel that you call a UFO,” also known as “the Mother Plane.”
Even people that do not go off the deep end do not always remember their heroines and heroes as they actually were. The actual achievements of their idols become magnified, their faults are forgotten, and they are imagined to have been much greater than they actually were.
Even parent worship has its drawbacks. Many people talk about their mothers as though their advice was always sound. Someone once said that “the biggest liar in the world is ’they say.’” If this is true, the second biggest liar in the world must be “mama said.” Some of the most ridiculous statements ever uttered start out “Mama used to say….” No matter how wonderful mom might have been, she actually got it wrong sometimes.
Many heroine and hero worshippers compete with others to demonstrate their loyalty to the object of their worship. If others do not grovel before the idol sufficiently, they must be harshly criticized or attacked -sometimes violently.
Not everyone intends to worship their heroines and heroes. However, those that do cannot sufficiently understand their heroines’ or heroes’ limitations. They cannot recognize the errors in their heroines’ and heroes’ religions, ideologies, philosophies, worldviews, etc. What is worse, many heroine and hero worshippers will ignore or forcefully denounce important and legitimate critics of their heroines and heroes.
Embrace heroines and heroes if you must. Emulate their virtues. However, never allow your heroines and heroes to become your gods or goddesses. To do so could be a quick route to your own enslavement and your eventual demise.