Your Heroes.

[Sajainta]

Who are your heroes, and why?  It doesn't matter if they're living or dead, real or fictional, someone you know personally or someone you've never met.

[Zephira]

My heroes are almost always fictional, and they shape my mind.
First, Johnny Goodboy Tyler (and many others) from the book Battlefield Earth. He pretty much taught me how to read. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a hero is thus:
1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage
2 a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement
3 plural usually heros : submarine 2
4 : an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol
In the book, Johnny lives amongst a dying people who never leave their homes for fear of the supernatural. Johnny believed there was more to the myths than what the elders taught, and set out to smash the supernatural beliefs and find a better life for his family. He did succeed in proving those beliefs wrong, but he also found a whole world of problems to fix, and fix them he did. Johnny Goodboy Tyler always had great respect for knowledge and learning, for co-existence and peace, for hard work and sacrifice. He was the first good example of the Springtime of Youth I'd seen (and that was before I knew it existed, and probably before Naruto named it, even), he defined my work ethic and attitude towards others.
Hey, if Johnny can make friends with aliens and bears and psychotic miners, why can't I make friends with humans of different skin? (Thus why racial discrimination has never made sense to me).

Just after Johnny - or perhaps around the same time - came Magus and Ayla. Again comes the drive to fight and survive, to never give up in the face of disparity and desperation. Sadly, I never was able to live up to Ayla's physical standards, but the spirit is still there.

And then there was Tassadar. Still the same lesson as those above, stay in the springtime of life (life, as it's hard to be considered youth when you're 356 years old) and never stop fighting for what you believe is right. Tassadar lived in a caste society, whose government was turning a blind eye to the dangers awaiting them and to the condition of their people. Tassadar sought to change all that, after a life in servitude to it.
Besides, he's Protoss. What's cooler than that?

As for real life heroes... When I was young (about the same time I met those four up there), my grandma was friends with an artist named Borris. He would visit her at our home almost every day and draw something for us, or show us what he's drawn. He was very good with the graphite and stump. My grandpa in California was also an artist, a painter. Seeing how these two people could bring such joy to others with drawings and paintings - stories made not of words, but of colour - gave me my life's dream. It's to them I owe my calling to share pictures and spread delight.

And lastly, my uncle Terry. He was confined to a wheelchair since his teenage years and had to live with grandma. He was almost always sick, and I was afraid of him. Here was an example of just how badly your own body could turn against you, how fragile you really are, and what happens to you and your family when you can no longer care for yourself. He died a few months ago. I don't think he was ever that unhappy; he was always telling stories or jokes about people he'd seen or games he'd played. He always had a video game to share with us and to distract him. See, even if you're body has turned against you so that you can't live your own life, you can still live these amazing dreams through games. I am going to be a game designer so that I can share stories and dreams with people like him, so that those who suffer can still live enriching lives.

EDIT: Forgot one. Well, a few. You guys! Thanks for the advice, and for putting up with my occasional bouts of depression.

[Sajainta]

Olympe de Gouges.

She was a passionate early feminist living in France during the French Revolution and believed that the women of France should be given the same rights as men (as outlined in her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen).  She was also outspoken about ending slavery.  She was executed by guillotine because of her affiliation with a certain political party in 1793 and for being in opposition to the death penalty.  So there is some bitter, sad irony in her most famous statement::

“Women have the right to mount the scaffold, they must also have the right to mount the speaker’s rostrum”.

Her passion and pursuit of social justice is nothing short of inspirational.

Sydney Carton.

One of the main (really, THE main) character from Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities.  At the end of the novel he sacrifices himself to save the life of a person who is married to the woman he loves.  Self-sacrificial love is always something to be admired, but to go to those lengths even for someone who doesn't love you back?  If that isn't real love, I don't know what is.

His amazing courage and love resonated so deeply with me that I was going to name my daughter after him.  Her first name would have been Sydney.

D.

D is constantly striving to make himself a better person, and to also make life better for others.  He is blunt and to the point, and won't put up with anyone's bullshit, yet he is the single most gentle and kind person I have ever met.  His love is the closest thing to unconditional.  He has a sharp mind, a huge heart, and tremendous bravery.

[ZeaLitY]

I have a lot, divided into Good, Neutral, and Bad. I'll start with the females in each category first, since the nature of popular fiction and media has produced a shortage of good female fictional characters. I'll just do Good now, since Villains will take more effort (and I've already spent like an hour on this post).

Good

Real

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was an incredible thinker and a fantastic human being. Seriously, check out his Wikiquote page. Many people like Bruce Lee for different reasons; some Chinese like him because he's an icon of success; a lot of martial arts fans like him because he seemed to be the best. But underlying all of that success and show was a sincere, humanistic individual, and an artist of life. He was also an atheist.



Jimi Hendrix

Behind the myth of perfect guitar-playing and drugs stands a sincere, poetic man, who embodied a lot of the heart of the counterculture (even if he was never particularly a folk icon). Hendrix made beautiful music and had beautiful ideas.



Theodore Roosevelt

Why not just let Cracked do the talking?

It wasn't just his war record or the fact that he knew several different ways to kill you that made Roosevelt such a badass. It wasn't even the fact that he kept a bear and a lion at the White House as pets, (though that certainly helps). Teddy Roosevelt was a badass of the people. Roosevelt received letters from army cavalrymen complaining about having to ride 25 miles a day for training and, in response, Teddy rode horseback for 100 miles, from sunrise to sunset, at 51 years old, effectively rescinding anyone's right to complain about anything, ever again.

Roosevelt busted trusts and spoke feminist truths of equality. He also helped America's foundation of national parks.



Prince

Prince is awesome. He unleashed great music prolifically in the 80s and defined an entire style of life for himself. Purple Rain is also an objectively decent film, and at least before he was "Born Again", Prince spread socially liberal ideas in his music.



Richard Dawkins

There's a fierce, badass quality about him, and I enjoyed his documentaries while coming out of my irrational faith. In one of his first to air on the BBC, there's a shot of him standing in the aisle of Haggard's mega-church in Colorado Springs and just gazing forward, like a man of science thrust into a world of deceit.



Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was one of the more thoughtful and heartful robber barons, and his life reads like an adventure. But what really makes him special is his philanthropy and his philosophy, The Gospel of Wealth. Carnegie equated profits and wealth to great "trusts" held for the service of all humanity, and necessary to pay out for the betterment of civilization. He has a few fantastic quotes, and was very, very much in the springtime of youth. "The world stands on its head for those few and far between who give 100%." Here's the gospel of wealth quote:

Thus is the problem of Rich and Poor to be solved. The laws of accumulation will be left free; the laws of distribution free. Individualism will continue, but the millionaire will be but a trustee of the poor; intrusted for a season with a great part of the increased wealth of the community, but administering it for the community far better than it could or would have done for itself. (pp. 663-664) The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced. (p. 664)



Richard Branson

Branson's is another tale of the springtime of youth. He's a wildly optimistic person with his own youthful eccentricities. He has his downsides, but his infectious, animated energy is the thing to put stock in.



Sir Edmund Hillary

Hillary was the first hardass to climb Everest. That was in the 1950s, before truly modern equipment and ladders for some of the harsher faces. Why did he do it?

Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.

For this, he was a true English-descended adventuring hardass. Amazing.



Fictional

Jessie Bannon

She was a character from The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, and represents an ideal human to me. She's inquisitive, athletic, curious, intelligent, and emotional. Peter Lawrence really succeeded with her.



Ayla

Do I really need to explain?



Tasha Yar

She's my favorite character in all of Star Trek. She's fierce, strong-willed, sharply intelligent, and above all else, very, very human. And she does this without surrendering any of her femininity; she's not merely being "masculine" to be strong.



Nico Robin

Nico Robin is a Strawhat pirate in One Piece, and her dream is to learn the true history of the world by decoding a few ancient stones that have been deemed illegal by the world government. Her real heroism comes through continuing her dream despite suffering all her life. And she learns to trust the Strawhats and have friends again.



Allison Reynolds

She's the girl in the Breakfast Club. Her eccentricities and problems were interesting for starters, but her "dark" appearance and mannerisms made her so interesting to me when I first saw the movie in junior high. It's an appreciation that's lasted; she seems leagues deeper than all the other characters. I also appreciated that she didn't smoke weed with the others, since (like Lord J Esq) I choose not to for reasons of lucidity. There's also supposedly part of the script that was cut that would have had Carl, the janitor, telling her that she'd be a famous poet when she grew up, but no one would care. While rewatching the movie today in Blu-ray, I also discovered that she's a Prince fan:



<3

Megara

Megara sacrificed everything to restore Adonis, who then ditched her. Her love knew no bounds, and she was also quite an intelligent, wittily sarcastic person. She's probably my favorite Disney "princess" of them all.



Quistis Trepe

Quistis was one of my favorite characters from FF8. She's an intelligent, well-rounded woman, and I wanted to scream at Squall for turning her down.



Jonny Quest



The one from TRAJQ, specifically. He's a relentless adventurer, embodying the human desire to know. He's ever-optimistic and full of alacrity. His father is also an admirable hero for his pursuit of knowledge, and these quotes summarize the Quest feeling:

East of Zanzibar

    * Dr. Quest - "How ya doin', Jonny?"
    * Jonny - "We made good time. We may even make the island before sunset even though the port's way over on the other side."
    * Dr. Quest - "You know, your watch ended over an hour ago. Hadji and Race can take over if you're tired."
    * Jonny - "Are you kidding? I wouldn't give this up for anything! I'm living a dream, dad!"
    * Dr. Quest - "Searching for a lost submarine in an area where there have been reports of sea monsters for as long as man has sailed the ocean. I believe you're right Jonny; we are living a dream."

Ndovu's Last Journey

    * Hadji - "Follow knowledge like a sinking star beyond the utmost bound of human thought."
    * Dr. Quest - "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." (quoting Eliot)

Rock Lee

Rock Lee is the springtime of youth. Disadvantaged and born without any innate talent, his dream was to become a splendid ninja, and he did through hard work and believing in himself. His development is a huge part of the reason why early Naruto was so compelling before the Uchiha storyline became dominant. His is a life worth emulating.



Might Guy

Might Guy is also in the springtime of youth, and is an over-the-top display of what sincere belief in oneself and hard work can produce.



Uzumaki Naruto

Yeah, Naruto is a source of ridicule since the dub aired in the US, but there really is a lot to be inspired by in the series. And at the center of it is Naruto, who won't give up on his dream. To get to that point, you really have to believe in yourself and your dream. That sounds semantic and simplistic, but believing in oneself—completely—and also believing in one's dreams whole-heartedly is not easy to do.



Jiraiya

Jiraiya believed, to the end of his life, in a better world, and strove to make that dream reality. But he's also flashy and in the springtime of youth.



The Man with No Name

Despite his moral ambiguity, he's an exact purveyor of justice, and quite a cool presence.



Doctor Emmett L. Brown

Without discussing his qualities in the movie, I take a lot of humanist inspiration from the trailer to Back to the Future. Read this entry: http://zeality.livejournal.com/25555.html Really, read it. Maybe you'll be touched by that feeling...



Doctor Samuel Beckett

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more considerate, empathetic, and nice fictional character. He really had a heart of gold, and that made Quantum Leap much more compelling



Captain Picard

Picard represents an illuminated human being, a goal worthy of pursuit for everyone.



Dalton's Bond

Dalton's Bond was fresh, intelligent, and realistic. But I really like him just because of the sincere romance he has in The Living Daylights with Kara Milovy, the woman from Bratislava. It's the most realistic Bond/Bond girl connection in the series, maybe ignoring Tracy in OHMSS. I carried this in my wallet while visiting Europe as a good luck charm:



John Locke

He may be the "faith" person in LOST, but his isn't an irrational belief. Part of being human is considering outside alternatives and expressing wonder at discovery and exploration of the universe. And that requires an open mind and curiosity. Locke has these, and that's why he's prepared to accept the strange phenomena of the island. The others are closed-minded.



Guts

Guts is the protagonist of the manga Berserk, and he is the definition of a Determinator. He absolutely refuses to accept anything less than a just fate, and struggles more than most people could imagine humanly possible, enduring incredible pain to keep going. He is the definition of self-will.



Kensei

Kensei isn't particularly noble, but he's a hot-blooded fucker in the springtime of youth.



KAMINA

OUR BURNING BLOOD WILL CUT THROUGH FATE

KICK REASON TO THE CURB AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

WHO THE HELL

DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!?!??!



KITTAN

I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS



SIMON / GARLOCK

THE STARS AREN'T WORTHY OF BEING MY ENEMIES

I'LL CRUSH THEM FROM THE HEAVENS!



VIRAL

THERE'LL BE NO COMPROMISE

FOR YOU



Sanosuke Sagara

Sanosuke's my favorite character in Kenshin. He's hot-blooded, yet level-headed, and has a sweet personal style with the white outfit. He's also pretty tall, which was a plus for me.



Hiko Seijuro

Hiko is the greatest swordsman alive in the Kenshin universe. Sometimes, it helps to idolize the best, and ask why they are.



Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo's a more believable shounen hero because he's neurotic as hell. The Soul Society arc, and Ichigo's unforgiving desire to move forward were very encouraging, and Ichigo's had to go through worse since then. His recent fight with Ulquiorra have also humanized him even more.



Christopher Reeve's Superman

Reeve's Superman is authentic and sincere. I'm not really a comic book fan, but I'm a total fanboy for his interpretation. Reeve is able to pull off that convincing, almost-innocent idealism that Superman stands for. It's as good as a good guy can get.



Monkey D. Luffy

Here's a true dreamer in the springtime of youth. Every step he makes is forward, and his faith in himself and the beauty of his dream never wavers. Only a man like that could raise such a crew.



Franky (Cutty Flam)

SUUUUUUUUUUUPEEEEEEEEEEER

Franky is in the springtime of youth and pursuing his dream, but he's also a flamboyantly awesome icon.



Usopp / Sogeking

Usopp is of doubtful courage and human abilities in a world dominated by flashy, powerful pirates. And yet, he keeps pursuing his dream, even evolving an alter-ego through which to unlock his true heroism and resolve.



Roranoah Zoro

Zoro's an easier dreamer to empathize with because of his own persistent neuroticism. His feats of will and friendship in One Piece are inspiring.



Laguna Loire

What an affable, heroic guy.



ZELL DINCHT

Zell Dincht is beautiful. He's the springtime of youth charged with explosive energy! And he's one of the reason FF8 was overall a positive experience for me. Damn, to be like Zell...

[neo-fusion]

Real - They are all self explanatory so there is no need for description

Paul McCartney

John Lennon
 
Bruce Lee

I am sure there are more

Fictional

Cloud Strife - He is extremely real, he has many problems and can't deal with them. He doesn't know how and everyone feels this way at one time or another.

Sephiroth - Psychotic isn't always a bad thing. He was lied to and was given false truths. How else would you expect a demi-god power like person to react.

Vincent - Darkness. He thinks of what he has done and why. He always reflects upon his fatal mistake. Very much how I reflect upon my mistakes in life.

[FaustWolf]

Oh, damn, what a great thread!

I want to do more research on the guy who founded and the people who run the Grameen Bank, and whoever's working on potable water for Africa right now, but the person who springs to mind immediately for me would be Canadian-born film maker James Cameron.

I was practically raised on Cameron's flicks, and I think they shaped my own values to a significant degree. He's always been able to create some action-packed movie that's objectively "cool" and yet imbue it with beautiful humanist messages -- drawing the viewer into his bully pulpit, turning what's cool into real education. Watching his films has really given me the impression that in our media-driven society, pop culture artifacts have become the primary morality-bearing instrument, and we need to realize that there's no entertainment without edutainment; they're inextricably linked now.

Add to that the fact that Cameron started out as a truck driver who fastened a dream to his heart without ever letting it go, and, well...

But it's not to say that our heroes can't have flaws: Cameron is a total asshole to work with according to Kate Winslet. Perhaps our heroes are the people we strive to emulate in some way while improving upon the example. And thus, the goal may be, in fact, to outdo our heroes. What could be more heroic?


EDIT: Holy Shit, ZeaLitY literally posted a Nuclear Bomb.

[Lord J Esq]

I don't have any "heroes," per se, but there are people--both real and fictitious--who I particularly admire.

Carl Sagan is the most important. I read his book Cosmos in my senior year of high school and it was as close to having one of those "a book changed my life" experiences as I've ever gotten (so far). It's not that I had previously been of a different worldview; I have always been pretty much of the same philosophical and ideological disposition. Rather, it's that , in Carl Sagan, I found somebody who was profoundly like-minded, and who provided instantaneous structure and insight to my still-coalescing worldview. He had died just a few years earlier. I will always look up to his unapologetic wonder at the universe, and his extraordinary patience and kindness in presenting science to a foolish public. Everybody should be able to know and do science; it's not the domain of elites; it's a part of life; and Sagan was the best voice in modern times for bringing science to the people.

Captain Picard is important because he is a good example of what I call a "Mate for All Seasons." He's a renaissance person. He doesn't specialize in one thing. He specializes in every thing. (It was Heinlein who said that specialization is for insects.) He is an incredible testament to the power inherent in the human condition, when people come together to build an advanced society for themselves and then try to live up to their potential in that enlightened society.

Two people who I admire are fictional characters of my own creation. One is a philosophical alter-ego; the other is an ideological alter-ego. The fact that I could admire my own alter-egos so much perhaps does not speak well to my modesty stat (I think I rolled a 4 on that one), but it does give me so much opportunity to explore my own existence. Just last night, I was thinking to myself in bed, before falling asleep, that loyalty is even easier to earn than it is to steal, because all you have to do to win people's loyalty (unless they are already your antagonists) is care about them, protect them, and empower them. Those are three of the easiest things to achieve, especially considering that, where loyalty is concerned, the effort counts as much as the accomplishment. You can try and fail, and still be revered. These are the kinds of wanderings and wonderings that I am able to carry out by virtue of having instantaneous access to people who can play out theoretical ideas in an actual setting.

I greatly admire the left-handed Leonardo, whose brilliance is an indication of what the human condition can produce. His works and thoughts ought to be required study in school. There should be a whole Leonardo chapter, if not an entire unit, as an exemplary, holistic culmination to the development of society in the period in which he lived.

Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, and to a lesser extent Julius, his predecessor, are people who I admire. These two breathed new life into an unraveling nation, and gave antiquity its second great hour. Is it any wonder that these two names are given to the most vital months of summer?

Two other people who I admire were a couple named Mary and David; friends of the family. As a child I thought of them practically as second parents, or perhaps "ideal" parents would be a better term for it. David's intellect and strength of presence inspired me, as did Mary's kindness and good cheer. (I think she is the reason that I have such love for British culture. She was a little girl during the Battle of Britain, and a few of her mannerisms have found a place in my own life.) I will always use these two as exemplars of human excellence.

I admire my high school physics teacher, who was my favorite of all teachers, and probably the one who had the most to say about the human condition. In twelfth grade he was my fourth period teacher; fifth period was psychology with a right-wing Christian fundamentalist--my first exposure to such a creature! How different the atmosphere was in those two classes, and how very formative for me.

There are so many more people who I admire, but these are some of the ones at the top. None of them is a hero, but all of them have brought humanity forward in some way or another.

[ONSLAUGHT]

Hmm...
This is gonna be wierd...
And I'm gonna sound like I'm just advertising...

Real, none. I've always tried to be myself as much as possible and if I'm like anyone, certainly no one real so I have no one to compare to.
There's people I admire and respect, but that'd take way too damn long. Seriously though, it would take up an insane amount of space.

Fictional...
The Chrono Trigger cast. Yes, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but they really affected my life.
Crono and Ayla with their never give up and jump into the action to achieve what you care about additudes.
Marle with not letting things get in the way of your dreams. No matter how big they are.
Robo's more simple but has very much instilled a strong sense of good manners in me.
Lucca, modesty. no matter how great your talent, never show off or brag about it.
And Magus. Magus has certainly helped put in me to put your whole heart and soul into whatever you care about the most. It sounds similar to Crono and Ayla, but it's different. Hard to explain.

But yeah, they are definetly my heroes and heroines for life.

[Sajainta]

The Chrono Trigger cast. Yes, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but they really affected my life.

What, on a Chrono fan website?  That doesn't sound stupid at all.  This is the last place where that would be seen as stupid! 

[mav]

Fantastic thread. I haven't thought about my heroes lately, since I really don't have that many, but I might as well put down something. These fellas have inspired me in some ways, to say the least.

Travis Bickle, fictional character played by Bobby DeNiro in Scorsese's Taxi Driver. I might get some flack for considering this guy one of my heroes, but something about him clicked with me. Sure he's based on a real man, a man who attempted to assassinate a political candidate, and sure he essentially goes insane by the end of the film, but there's something about this character that I find particularly humbling. He's a bit of a buffoon, and he's looking for an escape--two qualities I can relate to--he sees flaws in the world and flaws in himself (something I see), and unlike most people he actually takes the action to eliminate some of the world's flaws (and something I wish to do). But his sense of justice is so perverse that you can't help but want to vilify him. In his attempt to do good in this world he just plain fucks up. He tries to be a ladies' man, but he just can't. He's the fucked up person inside us all; the one who sees a pimp and believes killing him is the way to rid the world of that problem.


And one of my all time heroes, Michael J. Fox. I think it helps that I simply adore his character in Back to the Future (my favorite film) and completely envy his character on Spin City (a show I watch[ed] habitually), but this man is my hero. This is a man who has kept his career, his livelihood, his sustenance, and his pride even while plagued by undeniable hardship and difficulties. He made a career for himself because he wanted to, he lived off what he could as long as he was able to and was lucky enough to be recognized for what he loved. To me this man is the embodiment of fortitude. He's not considered the world's greatest actor, but there's something undeniably real about all the characters he plays. How could one man literally be all these characters, who are all different from one another, and still appear to be himself? It's fucking amazing. He's such a respectable person and he has such a beautiful soul, and as such I consider him my hero.


Michael Jackson. I'm not one of those kumquats who considers him a hero just cause he passed away recently; I don't have Jackson fever. This was a man who endured his own share of difficulties throughout his life, a man who had no childhood, and a man who inspired generations and generations of people. I loved his music when I was a child, and I still do today. A man as popular as he did was bound to have misery in his life, but he gave back charitably, and I think that's the quality I respect the most about him. His charitableness, in spite of his own personal hardships, and his empathy for children and humanity, in spite of having no childhood of his own and being stripped of his humanity, were breathtaking. I acknowledge the fact that he made mistakes in life, but something about his ability to live his life after being through so much is just plain inspiring to me.


I dunno if it was Teddy's death or what, but I do consider these three men my heroes--though they sort of act as one collective hero. I will never disrespect people who honor their country, or people who service their country, so when an entire family shows dedication to something, that's just plain inspiring. Their dedication to their values is something I wish to emulate, their contributions to this country are something I respect, and they are men whose service I will never underestimate. Teddy's stance as the Liberal Lion is definitely something I appreciate. We picture lions as ferocious creatures, yet Ted Kennedy was like the fun uncle of Congress. We need politicians who maintain their values but are still willing to reach across the aisle, to do the right thing for the people, and to lead the way for their downtrodden man. These men did that, and for that reason they are my heroes.

Once again, great topic. Really inspired me and let me figure out who I truly do respect in life...Thanks for this.

[IAmSerge]

Link, and then theres the heroes from my own creation

[Thought]

Sam Gribley: The main character from the book, My Side of the Mountain. I read that book in 4th grade and it was one of those “books that changes my life,” specifically in that it changed reading from something I had a mild liking for to a devouring passion. That aside, Sam himself was a model human being. He didn’t let not-knowing something stop him from pursuing his dreams, but he worked hard to learn what he needed as soon as possible. He was adept at improvising and even in the toughest of times was kind and considerate.



Data: Picard was nice, but Data is the one that really stuck with me. He was logical, of course, but he also actively attempted to develop his “humanity,” by adopting a cat to care for, by learning how to paint, to play the violin, and in general he earnestly sought to understand himself and those around him. He was a learner, a becomer, a perpetual seeker of self-improvement.



C. S. Lewis: A notable intellectual of his day in a wide variety of matters, though it is rather disappointing that his academic contributions are ignored to such a degree now days in favor of his religious writings. However, that is not to belittle any of his works. His philosophical writings were daring and he was willing to go where his reason took him, a trait that is actually rather rare in humans. There is so often an ingrained element of fear in humans that we recoil instinctually from ideas that we dislike, but he pressed on. I was introduced first to his Narnia Chronicles, but eventually to his Space Trilogy (unfortunately I picked up That Hideous Strength before the rest and thus it took me several years to finish the series), The Screwtape Letters, and then in college to his other, more academic works, starting with Mere Christianity and continuing on through A Grief Observed, The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, and others. Of course, Pilgrim’s Regress, Till We Have Faces, and the Great Divorce. Curiously, if I have a liberal leaning on an issue, political or religious, there is a good chance it is because of my readings of Lewis.



Ender Wiggin: I read Ender’s Game in 7th grade, I believe (it might have been 8th), and it has been a perpetual favorite ever since. I read it once for class, then again in a single day immediately following completing it, and generally once every 3ish years since. Ender is perhaps a darker Sam Gribley. He is capable of looking at the world in unique ways (“The enemy’s gate is down”), and he is willing to focus on what is important to the exclusion of all distractions. He is dedicated to that tasks ahead of him, even to the point of risking his own sanity. And he understands. He doesn’t just solve a problem, he understands it and in understanding it comes to love it. There is, of course, the darker side in that even when he understands and loves his enemy he still kills them, though it is unintentionally. He just overcomes problems thoroughly.



Orson Scott Card: The only author who has a character on this list. Shortly after reading Ender’s Game I found his website and the community of young writers/fans there. A great deal of my early intellectual development came from discussing topics on that website, much in the manner that the better intellectual discussions happen here on the Compendium. I also read OSC’s writing lessons that he put online, and those have been of great use over the years. In 2001 I started reading his column, “Uncle Orson Reviews Everything,” which has been terribly useful in understanding how one develops themself as a writer. When it started, I also began to read his “War Watch” Column, which morphed into “World Watch.” I’m less likely now to agree with what he says than when I started, but he always has an interesting way of putting things and even when I disagree with him, there is value in reading his thoughts on the matter (again, an element that is fairly rare). More generally, I have long been impressed with his love of the theater, modern culture, and concepts. If I live a life similar to his, I will be rather happy. Also, in the right light, I look like a younger version of him.



Mr. Welch: My High School History teacher. He was a knowledgeable fellow who somehow easily transferred his passion for learning to his students. He also had a great sense of humor, put up with a lot of crap from my friends and me, and still managed to be geeky while being popular. He was the one who introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons (through the use of published adventures; Thadass and Bitchifer were very memorable characters nonetheless). If I become a teacher like him, I’ll be thrilled.



Steve: A friend from high school. He was a skilled writer, quite creative, easily moved through social waters, had unique ideas and fresh perspectives, and a splendid sense of humor. Unfortunately he moved away from our hometown around 6 years ago and fell largely out of contact. Though it is also a bit sad; from what I have heard, a lot of his talent isn’t being fully utilized. He could be a published fiction-writer, but he works for game shows writing questions.



Jakob: Another friend from high school. Where Steve’s great virtue was talent, Jakob was/is dedication. Nothing can keep him down; if he fails, he will relentlessly try again until he succeeds. This isn’t to say that he wasn’t skilled, mind you, just that his dedication outshines it. I know as a fact that some of the people on this forum have seen his work.



Prof. Minor: A professor I had in college. His dedication to the truth was impressive. Where there was wiggle room in a theory, he made sure to note it and explain the situations. He told us where information came from, how it was interpreted, and discussed each pitfall along the way. He was a passionate teacher, but quite different than Mr. Welch. It was from this man that I learned a lot of my formal writing and reasoning skills (and imperfect transfer of knowledge, I assure you).



My circle of admiration has greatly expanded over the last 6ish years as well, but as this is already long, allow me to highlight just a few.

Dr. My Wife: I routinely am impressed by how hard she works at science, and her broad background. She traveled the world before I even had given a thought to doing so myself. She is caring (particularly for animals) and she’s fearless when it comes to new experiences. She is willing to discuss philosophical matters and can well hold her own in that regard. And she’s a wonderful cook (which is why she’s the one who cooks; she got tired of the bland stuff that is the best I can prepare).



Francis Collins: World renown scientists, head of the NIH, and all-round nice guy. He is the face that science needs in the modern world. If more people were like him, we’d be living a Star Trek-esq life right now. Also, he’s a rock’n’roll scientist.



G.K. Chesterton: I haven’t had the time to fully read all of his works, but I have been quite impressed with what I have read. Like with Lewis, if I have liberal leanings, particularly those as of late, he has been an influence.



The Doctor: He’s The Doctor! No name is necessary, just a great big “The.” He’s a man of action, willing to drive into the mouth of the monster to save the day, all the while refusing to use weapons. He is the embodiment of all that is good and admirable about humanity, and he isn’t even human.



Malcolm Reynolds: He’s a Big Damn Hero. He’s not the best individuals, but he’s loyal. If he accepts you as part of his crew, then he’ll take care of you, no matter what. He might not have the capabilities, but he doesn’t let that stop him.



Neil Patrick Harris: ‘Cause he’s awesome.



There are a few compendiumites and others I’d probably mention, but that has the risk of over complementing those I mention and offending those I leave out, so I think I’ll end it here.

EDIT: I totally forgot a few historical ones. But since this is already long, allow me to be brief: Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Aethelbert of Kent, and Charlemagne.

[Radical_Dreamer]

Dick Proenneke.

ZeaLity speaks of the Springtime of Youth. Dick had it in his 50s. I became aware of his great adventure in Alaska when the local PBS affiliate was running one of his documentaries a few years ago. I swiftly purchased One Man's Wilderness, a novelization of the first year and a half of his diaries, and eagerly devoured the text.

I'm not sure if he would meet my definition of a hero, but he's certainly an inspiration.

[ZeaLitY]

NEUTRALS

Sibylla, from the film Kingdom of Heaven

Sibylla would have saved the Kingdom of Jerusalem. She was prepared to sacrifice (and did sacrifice) her leprous child, and had all the machinations in place to keep the peace with Saladin and maintain the kingdom. Only Balian's overblown sense of morality kept it from being realized, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was lost, along with its religious tolerance (which might have at least maintained peace and shaped more tolerance for the future until the Turks came to prominence).

Well, that's the fictional history in the movie, of course; the reality is much different. But Sibylla makes a very convincing political character; she kills her own son to keep the fragile peace. It's fascinating. Eva Green is also able to channel a sense of morbid moroseness like few other actors. (It has to be the eyes.)



Electra, Cowboy Bebop

Electra is a strong, defiant, dashing woman.



Boa Hancock, One Piece

Hancock's story is a tragic one, and her brutal way of punishing those who slightly offend her makes her interesting as a villain. But she's ultimately a neutral character, as Luffy unlocks her love. God, it's so...romantic whenever she expresses her affection for him. That her heart could be warm once more for someone—a courageous dreamer, the only person who could have made it so—adds romantic depth to One Piece.



Ivy, Soulcalibur

Ivy's is a life fraught with darkness. But she survives by her own merit and serpentine intelligence, and struggles to find her personal justice and peace with the world.



Heishiro Mitsurugi, Soulcalibur

Mitsurugi is a steel-willed badass who originally set out for the Soul Calibur in order to prove that swords could defeat guns. His motivations have changed, but he's still awesome. He's an icon of the franchise.



Afrika Bambaataa (real)

Afrika Bambaataa was in a gang in New York, but visited Africa and had a personal revelation. He returned and converted his gang into a community music machine, and popularized the "Zulu Nation" in an era of apartheid. He's a really cool guy and an awesome presence, and it's a shame he wasn't inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame in 2007. He really took up social activism and parleyed his electrofunk into a magnet for his message.

Okay, I should move Afrika to the real Heroes category; he's not really a Neutral. My mistake. IT'S A FRANTIC SITUATION

For an example of his later work, here's my favorite song from Dark Matter, Soul Makossa. This is an alternate mix; I have no idea where it came from, so I have no qualms about spreading it around. Electrofunk makes great music for running and exercise.



Eikichi, Persona 2 Innocent Sin

I haven't actually played the game, but I've seen screenshots of Eikichi's impassioned speeches and read about his character development. He's definitely in the springtime of youth.



Jackass Crew (real)

Ignoring CKY, there's something really "good-hearted" about the Jackass crew. There've been a lot of imitations, but they've never caught on just as much as this core group's antics, and I think it's partially because of that good-heartedness. You can't look at Chris Pontius and actually imagine there's any modicum of maliciousness in his hi-jinx, nor Johnny Knoxville. So I've got respect for them.



Gomez Addams, Addams Family

Gomez Addams is the springtime of youth. I've already said that for others, but Gomez Addams rises above even seishun, shounen manga characters. He is relentlessly, eccentrically optimistic and gloriously energetic. His is the most infectious screen presence I've ever witnessed; I want to shout with him and bask in that beautiful, lucid joy through which he's animated. Damn!



Zaraki Kenpachi, Bleach

Kenpachi is a human absolute. He lives to do what he loves: fight, and he makes no bones about personal sanity. Somehow, this makes him one of the most endearing and laudable characters in the entire series.



Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Spike represents something a lot of people go through. After being hurt by Julia and nearly dying, he enters a dreamlike period for three years in which he disconnects from his old life and "floats" through bounty-hunting. It takes the events of the movie to wake him up and motivate him to return to Julia and finish his business. It's hard to take responsibility for one's own destiny, and it's easy to fall into what's comfortable and ignore one's greater potentials. Spike is also a "jeet kune do" master (excuse the absurdity of calling "jeet kune do" a person's "style"), and it always helps to spread Bruce Lee's ideas.



Hajime Saito, Rurouni Kenshin

There's obviously something attractive about "Aku Soku Zan", or "Kill evil immediately." Saito gives credibility to it with his pure hardass characteristics. One of Kenshin's most hilarious moments is when the cast wonder how Saito could ever have found a woman to marry him who'd put up with his morbidity.



Samurai Champloo's Protagonists

The real one to focus on is Mugen, who is also "jeet kune do" in that he's completely fluid and not bound to any style in his way of combat and life. But each character displays something human.



Juracule Mihawk, One Piece

Mihawk is the best swordsman to ever live. He exhibits a reserved personal style, albeit with damn good fashion. His strength and mystery make him an attractive character.



Kenji Tenzai, Red Alert 3

Red Alert 3 was fun partially because of the commanders, who appear to the player often through the commlink. Kenji is an awesome commander from the Japanese side. He's gifted, but arrogant and impulsive. This makes him annoying to fight, but when you're with him on the Japanese side, it feels awesome. He proposes certain attacks, celebrates victory with sarcastic comments, and exercises charisma.



Rufus Shinra, Final Fantasy 7

Rufus has an immaculate personal style, and his arrogance, elitism, and superiority complex are endearing to me. It was such a pleasure seeing him taunt the shadows of Sephiroth in Advent Children.

[Shee]

My brother formed much of my early years.  Clothes, music, it came from him.  I learned much from him, both goodand bad.  As we grew older we had a falling out, and have since grown much much closer.  A lot of it was related to music (the hero-ness, not the falling out).  I never would have taken up the drums had he not played music first.

I don't want to go into the rest of my family members, but many of them fall into the category of "hero" but probably for their shortcomings.  My parents did an excellent job of sweeping away the bullshit when I was very young.  I don't know if it worked out for the best in the long run, but when I saw the formerly impenetrable forces that were my parents at their weakest, it was one of those hair-raising moments that just can't be recreated.  Getting through all of our weaknesses big and small was a collective effort, and we've hit a groove.  Much of my personal dismay (in this realm at least) comes from living so far away from them for so long.  Enough of that, I say?  Most of it was very good.



My sophomore year history teacher.
Amazing individual.  A tough but rewarding class.  Had her own dojo in Africa...insanely intelligent and bright woman.  She is one of a few teachers I've had that showed massive passion about heir matter.  Many teachers were into their stuff, but not always there, ya know?  Others were shitty.  And others may have had the fire earlier, but i had passed them by.  She ALWAYS brought it.  Her moments of comedy were few and far between, but always golden.



Sanford Meisner



Sanford Meisner changed the way I look at, prepare for, and partake in any acting.

"Find in yourself those human things which are universal." - Sanford Meisner

Kind of a big one, but it always stood out ot me.  Breaking myself down from routine and growing as an actor is largely in part to him and what he taught and believed strongly in.  Open to any action, suspended in focus, dying for objective.  Preparation.  Then throwing it away and simply listening.

I'll get it down on of these days.  

I'll always remember him saying something along the lines of, "If theatre is performing surgery with a scalpel, then film is surgery with a laser."



Michael Chekhov



Still learning his theories and such, but what I've learned physically from his work is simply astounding.  Connecting thought and body took my work to a new level, and continues to pay dividends.



David Simon



He co-created The Wire.  Just about everything that I need to say on that will come later.  But to be the driving force of the most moving...anything that I've seen holds a big spot for me.  Having lived in Baltimore and experienced much of the stress and boundaries that exist in the show, he gave all of us a VERY gritty (overrated word I know but it rings very true here) and realistic story that taught me SO SO much.  So much about change and how difficult it is to come by.  About being stuck, no matter what your life may be like.  How your professional life will never save your personal one.  Losing control.  Hopelessness.  Little glimmers of life.  Just enough "Hollywood Bang" to ease ya.  Best ever.



Walter Payton



Sweetness.  Did the impossible by replacing the Kansas Comet, Gale Sayers.  THE defnition of work ethic, commitment, class and character.  Stunning to watch.



Mike Singletary



He wrote and led the filming of the Super Bowl Shuffle.  Before the Bears won the Super Bowl.



Dalton



Okay, this guy STOPPED THE ENTIRE CHRONOVERSE and said, "No!  This music won't do!  CHANGE FOR ME, CHRONOVERSE!"

And it did.  He stopped the universe, bent it to his will, and continued onward like nothing happened.  Simply amazing.


This is my Wire list.  Not everyone or everything, that would take too long, but the biggies.


State Senator Clay Davis



The ultimate.  The silver tongue.  The slipperiest devil ever.  The most insanely corrupt politician that could roll ANY crowd into a ball and dribble away with them in tow.  Dominates every time he is on screen.




Dennis "Cutty" Wise



Over a decade in prison, Dennis comes out and realizes that his old life is not for him anymore.  

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2f0mz_the-wire-cutty-avon-slim-charles_shortfilms

One of my favorite scenes ever... "I don't know...but it can't be this."

He goes on to open a boxing gym for the kids out on the corners, and for a few he helps them make serious progress while battling some of his own demons that still linger.  One of the few bright spots of a rather heavy show.



Lester Freamon a.k.a. Cool Lester Smooth



"A life, Jimmy...you know what that is?  It's the shit that happens when you're waiting for moments that never come."

Spent over 13 years in the Pawn Shop unit for doing "real po-lice work."  The coolest cat ever, constant pursuer of knowledge, always striving above and beyond to get it done right.  Ultimately led to his downfall.



Stringer Bell



He took the gross business of mass selling drugs and tried to get it clean.  He kept his eye on the ball, and had great plans to get out of those streets and knew that the plan was always temporary, that there was always something more grand in store for him.  He was above the gangster bullshit, but was he ready for big business?  His killer mentality drew me to him.  Very cold and on point, an insane drive.





Those are the highlights.