Galileo vs Tina Turner: do we need another hero?

"Pity the land that has no heroes", says Galileo's pupil, disappointed that his master has caved in to the Inquisition. "Pity the land that has need of heroes", replies Galileo, glad to be free of the thumbscrews. "We don't need another hero", chips in Tina Turner, from her Mad Max Thunderdome. Thanks Tina.

Do we need heroes in this day and age?

Both Galileo and Tina say we shouldn't need heroes any more. Galileo reasons from socialism (via Bertolt Brecht), Tina reasons from nihilism:

Galileo: This land is messed up. If we were equal, we wouldn't need a hero. We need heroes because we're far from utopia, therefore pity us.

Tina: This land is messed up. We're lost because all our heroes let us down. We don't need another hero to let us down again, therefore pity us.

Galileo and Tina are both wrong.

If you've any doubt, just notice the way your heart swelled when you heard about the men who tackled the London Bridge terrorist, armed only with sticks and a fire extinguisher. The Polish cook, the Muslim kitchen porter, the off duty transport cop; all truly heroic. You just hope you'd have the courage to act like them in the same situation.

What can we do in the 99.999% of the time that we aren't asked to be as heroic as this? The "formula" for heroic action is this: step forward and try to fix a problem, try to make the imperfect world a better place. Ok, so what's our everyday equivalent? Just look around you, see what problems need fixing. Try to make it better. Make a difference. And maybe people will tell hero stories about you!

Of course we need heroes. Every day heroes. You can feel it in your heart.