The One vs The Many Heroes


I started reading a Sci Fi novel - Dune by Frank Herbert. I have not even crossed 30 pages and already the characters in the book are analyzing if the hero ( a kid as of now ) is the one? It kind of put me off a bit..but I will persist with the book. Curious to know if he is the one ;)

Coming from an eastern civilization where there is really no "one hero" it does sound a bit funny initially. There are 1+ million Gods, in Mahabharata there are 5 heros, and there is a hero who is part of the dark side too ( Karna ), in Ramayana actually the bad guy is projected to be on the good side ( Rama - who else.. haha ;) he plots the downfall of one of the monkey kings, suspects poor Deepika...better known as Sita and burns her etc. ).

Switch to the Western world - there is Matrix. After snazzy graphics, exploding cars and trucks, and 3 parts - it is determined that Neo is the One. In Lord of the rings the ring chooses a sad looking Elijah Woods as the One. In the latest movie too, Avatar, there is some legend among the Pandorites and our hero happens to be - not surprisingly - the One.

Its fun - being part of both worlds. I grew up fascinated with the Mahabaratha, and Ramayana - it  helped me identify shades of grey in the world, and that there is not one, but many heroes - and they are on both sides.

Then Hollywood movies and American politics showed how things are really not as complicated as we Easterners think - but it is quite simple - as either a red or blue pill/vote and how there can be "the One".

I can sense there is something deep here - but I am a superficial blogger so I won't bother digging deep. Like the Inception ending, I will let you draw your own conclusions on what impresses you the most - The One vs Many heroes concept.

Comments

  1. US World is relatively newer and hence "one hero" concept. If you take Indian cinema now, (Literature in India for so many is reduced to Cinema and Television).... One hero concept is dominant. I still feel Literature should teach team work and of course leadership skills... Not super power by a single hero. Batman, Superman....

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