Do you remember that song by The Stranglers, No More Heroes? With it's eloquent lyrics such as:

"Whatever happened to

All the heroes?

All the Shakespearoes?"

Sounds better than it reads doesn't it? In fact, if you read all the lyrics you'd think there were some parts missing. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

But the chorus is on my mind right now. No more heroes anymore. No more heroes anymore...

And the reason is only loosely linked to the name of this newsletter, which is actually named for the Hero's Journey.

The real reason it is on my mind is because of a conversation with a client last week. I'll come to that in a moment.

But, before I do, have a little think. In modern filmmaking and storytelling, who can you think of who is a straight-up, unambiguous hero? By which I mean, someone who represents you and your community or country heroically and is clearly good?

Not so easy to think of are they? I have a couple in my back pocket, but you have a think.

You see, for lots of cultural reasons to do with shifting power structures and cultural norms, the idea of the hero has fallen out of fashion.

These days we tend to celebrate anti-heroes. Or if our heroes get too good, we have to tell backstories about dark chapters in their lives to bring them down a peg or two. If they represent too much power we have to clip their wings and remind them they work for us.

And all of these stories can be great. But...

I think we need heroes. I think we need archetypes in stories to look up to. We need people in public life who we can emulate. We need to be able to look to those more successful than us and say, "I want to be like them."

Which isn't the same as saying they are perfect, without flaws or to be blindly followed. It's just a natural human instinct to look up to the great and the successful and to admire them.

So I think it is a shame that we can't seem enjoy this aspect of humanity and society as much as we might. That we assume corruption behind success.

Which is why, when talking to a client last week, I didn't hesitate to name a well known public figure as someone I consider a hero. Someone I admire and emulate and would love one day to meet*.

I hope you have a hero like that too. So, if you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine.

Just hit reply, and give me a name. I can't wait to learn a little more about you.

Stephen

(*It's on the vision board -- totally going to happen.)

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