In todays Guardian, Karen Armstrong writes interestingly about current heroes. The piece, From Buddha to Beckham, outlines how she thinks we get the heroes we deserve. She outlines how each culture has had heroes and how we look to those heroes for some form of guidance:

The fact that we call people “stars” is itself significant. A star sheds light in darkness. Travellers once used the constellations to help them to find the right path. We have always looked to exemplary human beings for guidance and inspiration. Throughout history, heroes and sages have become paradigmatic figures. They show us what humanity can be, they define our values, and fill us with profound emotion, because they touch an inchoate but powerful yearning for human excellence.

She suggests this contrtibutes to a flaw in our society today. Wheras heroes used to be people like Socrates who would expect his pupils to transform their lives for the better, todays heroes like Will Young and others are more likely to be into self-indulgent adulation. This is due partly to this cultures infatuation with fame. In the church, who are our heroes? Who do we try to emulate as we seek to connect with the world ‘out there’?

The whole article can be read at the above link and is worth the 5 mins or so to read.