For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.
- Zeus, Disney’s Hercules 1997
Hello coffee lovers and avid readers! Welcome to Olive’s Tasty Quota at Olive’s Café, where you get a taste of philosophy and messages from works of art.
Hercules has always been one of my favorite animated movies as a child because of the music, humor, and the art design of the animation. Now, as an adult, I can include that the message behind it is what made me love the movie even more. However, every time I watch the animated film, there’s a quote that Zeus, Hercules’s father, has said that stuck with me for years: For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. As a child, I never really thought of what it meant to me on a deeper level, but as an adult, I can understand it even more and I look at the world a lot more differently because of this quote. So, how does someone become a true hero?
In the movie, Hercules struggled to fit in with human beings, as his godlike strength terrified people and turned him into an outcast. However, after he discovered that he was born a god and turned into a human from being kidnapped, he took on the journey of becoming a god by proving to be a true hero on Earth. With the help of Phil and Pegasus, Hercules trained day and night until he was ready to prove that he’s a hero. Every time he fought the creatures, brought out by Hades, people grew to love him and helped him become famous, but fame and idolization isn’t what made him a true hero. What made him a true hero was his sacrifice to save Meg, and because of that, he became a god and returned home to Mount Olympus. Although he was elated to return home, he made the decision to stay with Meg, knowing that being with Meg is home to him.
While watching Hercules, I remember learning how he goes through all his battles when taking on his journey to becoming a god again. He battled with himself, society, the different creatures, and Hades’s titans to prove his heroism and his worth on Mount Olympus. The battles with the creatures has helped him prove to society that he’s a worthy hero, but those acts only made him famous, not a god. What made him a true hero, however, is by saving Meg with his love (the strength of his heart), and accepting himself for who he is, whether he’s a god or a human being. He struggled to understand his place between Earth and Mount Olympus, but because of Meg, his declaration of his love contributed to his true heroism and godhood. In my opinion, he didn’t need to prove to anyone his worth, but only to himself and that’s what mattered.
Every time I think about this quote, I think about what makes anyone a true hero. So, I ask questions like, “What are people’s intentions when saving lives?” “How do we see heroes while in front of the camera?” “Are you willing to put others before yourself?” It doesn’t have to actually be literal, like Hercules saving Meg by sacrificing himself, but it could be anything that can help, such as talking to someone out of meeting a drastic fate or preventing people from getting hurt. From my observation, I believe that people are afraid to put themselves forward when someone is in distress because of the possibilities of them getting hurt or being ridiculed. For our fictional heroes from comic books, movies, and TV shows, we see them do extraordinary acts that we can never imagine ourselves doing, only to remind ourselves that it’s all fiction. Then, we have our real-life heroes: nurses, doctors, firefighters, advocates, parents, and even mentors that would use their skills and resources to save lives, cure diseases, and prevent dangers from occurring. There are people who will object to this and debate about the people we call heroes, but when they bring up people who preach and pray instead of being proactive or giving actual comfort, how can anyone call them heroes? Can we call ourselves “Hercules” when our “heroic acts” are just performative?
On one hand, being a true hero comes from the heart, and it’s the act of love, whether it be for a stranger or for the people we hold close to us, that encourages us to put ourselves forward to save and protect them. The size of our strength, on the other hand, is just performative for the sake of making us look like heroes.
One thing’s for sure; I know that I don’t have to risk my life to save others, especially to prove to people that I’m worthy of their love. However, I will do what I can to make a difference as I act upon my kindness and hope to be someone’s hero.
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