DiaBLOGue III – The “FirestarterHero”
by: Phyllis Hampton
In the previous diaBLOGues, we’ve briefly looked at different types of heroes:
The Explorer – one who travels outside of society’s “box” to bring back to it vital (not necessarily comfortable) enlightening knowledge and wisdom.
The Builder – one who successfully implements needed (not necessarily comfortable) changes into society.
The Hero-at-Large – one who is always taking the opportunity to expand centeredness and dissipate the thick cloud of fear, especially the fear of change.
In this diaBLOGue, we look at arguably the most visible hero, The Fire Starter. Fire starter heroes ignite the process of change. They may be considered political, such as our Founding Fathers. They may be social, such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, or Martin Luther King (… or maybe the flame was actually ignited by Rosa Parks). They can be subtler in their fire starting, such as Shakespeare, Lady Diana… or even Elvis and at least two of the Beatles. There have been fire starters that are abhorred by much of society, such as Adolph Hitler. What these iconic figures have in common is that they somehow changed the fabric of humanity.
Are you a fire starter? If so, there aren’t many of you. Authentic fire starter heroes appear to be born to it, and rarely live long, comfortable lives. They seem to have burning destinies to complete. Napoleon, an obvious fire starter, said of his fate:
“I feel myself driven towards an end that I do not know. As soon as I have reached it, as soon as I shall become unnecessary, an atom will suffice to shatter me. Until then, all the forces of mankind can do nothing to stop me. “
This is the essence of fire starters. They in some way change the trajectory of, or the stagnation of, humanity. Their success depends upon neither fearing nor courting death, neither desiring nor repelling societal acceptance or accolades.
In times such as these, all heroes are required – all need to step up. Heroes, if working together, can work in an exponential way and perhaps lessen the impact of what many see as the unfolding of humanity’s dark karma. The hero continues to work to bring humanity into balance with the universal laws. Physics has shown us that these greater laws are uncompromising, and it is humanity and not them that must change.
In truth, there is no hierarchy in heroism. A hero is a hero, whether explorer, builder, hero-at-large, or fire starter. What makes them successful, however, is that they step up to their fate and their greater work, however that needs to happen. And when they do, humanity wins.
The next set of diaBLOGues will address what heroes need to know. Until then…