Dude, that's a ridiculous definition of heroism. Stopping a dangerous violent criminal attempting to hurt someone is a heroic act regardless of whether or not the police are on their way.
I think you're confusing my definition of heroism with "commendable" or "praise-worthy".
I don't see heroism as something that you simply should do from a moral perspective, nor do I see it as something that you are obligated to do. You are not a hero because you did your duty. You are also not a hero because you did something that everyone agrees that they would also have done because it was right.
To me, a hero is doing something akin to an impossible task. A hero is going, literally, beyond the call of his duty. In fact, the institution that gave him his duty may have failed, and someone must take personal responsibility to put the weight of the system on their shoulders and orient the whole thing in the right direction. That seems more appropriate to the definition of a "heroic effort".
Dude, that's a ridiculous definition of heroism. Stopping a dangerous violent criminal attempting to hurt someone is a heroic act regardless of whether or not the police are on their way.
I think you're confusing my definition of heroism with "commendable" or "praise-worthy".
I don't see heroism as something that you simply should do from a moral perspective, nor do I see it as something that you are obligated to do. You are not a hero because you did your duty. You are also not a hero because you did something that everyone agrees that they would also have done because it was right.
To me, a hero is doing something akin to an impossible task. A hero is going, literally, beyond the call of his duty. In fact, the institution that gave him his duty may have failed, and someone must take personal responsibility to put the weight of the system on their shoulders and orient the whole thing in the right direction. That seems more appropriate to the definition of a "heroic effort".