What is Heroic Virtue? – IOTW Report

What is Heroic Virtue?

h/t NAAC.

AMERICAN THINKER:

By Andrew E. Harrod

“Our culture has a very confused sense of heroism, often applauding the biggest, strongest, loudest, or wealthiest,” writes Catholic commentator Bear Woznick in his new book, Deep Adventure: The Way of Heroic Virtue (Sophia Institute Press). In response to this distortion, he has drawn upon his own daring life of surfing Hawaii’s waves, skydiving, and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, to examine insightfully the seven cardinal virtues.

Woznick counters the modern exaltation of braggadocio with courage’s mundane basis. Thus “true heroism — the kind that saves lives, preserves dignity, and protects the most vulnerable — is a determined, steadfast power, under control and directed toward the good with the clarity of purpose that comes with humility.” “Heroism is developed over time, one decision after another, moment by moment, formed by a deliberate, chosen, and habitual response to life,” he adds.

“Heroes are not made by a spider’s bite or on an alien planet,” Woznick clarifies. “A hero is just a common person, like you and me, choosing to do an uncommon thing.” Virtue forms such a hero, as Woznick notes its root in the Latin word “vir,” which “means ‘manly.’ True manliness is the pursuit of virtue.” more here

11 Comments on What is Heroic Virtue?

  1. ““Heroism is developed over time, one decision after another, moment by moment, formed by a deliberate, chosen, and habitual response to life,”

    I chose not to define heroism by the direct translation from the Greeks and rather by our traditional understanding of the label.
    Most Heroic acts are rather spontaneous. I’ve seen plenty of interviews where the question was asked, “WTF were you thinking”. Sometimes they shutter a little bit but the answer is quite often the same. “If I was thinking, I wouldn’t have done it”. To me that’s a hero.

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  2. Heroism is 300 Spartans at Thermopylae
    Heroism is Roland at the bridge
    Heroism is Caesar at Alisa … & the Rubicon
    Heroism is Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Cathedral
    Heroism is William Wallace dying for his beliefs
    Heroism is Washington at Trenton
    Heroism is the defenders at the Alamo
    Heroism is Robert E. Lee leaving his commission & the offer of Commander of his country’s armed forces to defend his home State while understanding the outcome was certainly doomed to fail
    Heroism is men facing certain death while assaulting the heights of Fredericksburg or the center of the Union line at Gettysburg
    Heroism is dive-bombing the Japanese Fleet at the Battle of Midway, knowing that you have little to no chance of survival
    Heroism is six men raising the flag at Iwo Jima & only 3 surviving the battle
    Heroism is assaulting Omaha Beach, digging into the frozen turf at The Battle of the Bulge
    Heroism is men being slaughtered & persevering through the Battle of Pork Chop Hill for political bluster.
    Heroism is young men waiting for their lottery number to be called to risk their lives for a country that does not care whether they live or die
    Heroism is a President standing up for the country he serves & says ‘enough!’ to foreign entanglement that do nothing but sacrifice his nations blood & treasure to enrich corporations & oligarchs
    Heroism is people trying to rescue our citizens & allies that our government callously abandoned
    Heroism is people standing up against government mandates

    … call it what you will … Heroism comes down to sacrifice in the face of adversity for other than oneself

    ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ ~ John 15:13

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  3. They aren’t fooling anyone, particularly themselves.

    By the way, this is one of the objectives they had in mind when they deliberately and systematically deleted the reader comments in Dec 2019 – Jan 2020 before they dropped the puck on the Covid and mostly peaceful riot games. Try and confuse virtue with vice, then keep others from pointing out what they are up to.

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  4. Heroism is getting up and going to work when it’s 7 F outside and you have a slight hangover but you know your family depends on you.
    And then doing it again tomorrow.

    mortem tyrannis
    izlamo delenda est …

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  5. Heroism is running towards the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 instead of staying put in the vomit and saltwater in the bottom of the boat.

    mortem tyrannis
    izlamo delenda est …

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