Challenges of life
Consider the greatest stories you’ve been told. They all involve a protagonist facing an immense challenge to achieve a noble outcome that will redeem a perilous situation. PICTURE: Hu Chen/Unsplash Our hero will face intense pain along the way, that will almost break their resolve, but we hold our breath with them, waiting for that […]
Pope hails healthcare workers as heroes for COVID service
Vatican City AP Pope Francis on Sunday hailed healthcare workers as heroes for their service every day, not just during the pandemic, asking the public in St Peter’s Square to join with him in applause. Francis clapped his hands in what he said was a “great thank you” for health workers, including volunteers, who care for […]
Essay: The difference between heroes and martyrs
RUSSELL P JOHNSON, a teaching fellow at the University of Chicago Divinity School, explains why it’s wrong to confuse “the memorialisation of victims with the commendation of heroes”…
Heroes, mark II
Previously I said society’s heroes used to be marked by values like hard work, sacrifice, suffering and selflessness. HERO?. PICTURE: Ems van Goth/www.freeimages.com After a few decades of film and TV, our heroes are now known by their wealth, good looks, brand names and selfishness. Even the church hasn’t escaped this cultural shift. Once we […]
Heroes
In his book, Grace V Self-Esteem, Aussie author Brett Glover analyses how heroes have changed with the advent of film and television. WHAT SORT OF SUPERHERO DO WE WANT? PICTURE: Laura Glover/www.freeimages.com Before ‘screen culture’, heroes were marked by the sacrifices they had made for the community. The years of hard work and suffering they had […]