Qualities of a Hero

People in ancient times had lots of ideas of what made a hero a hero. Qualities such as being a demi-god with certain super powers, going out on a dangerous adventure with lots of foes to battle, or having an ultimate boss to battle towards the climax of the story are just a few of these qualities. However, I believe that in today's society being a hero doesn't mean that you have to be a "demi-god", or have a sword that strikes down people with lightning. In my opinion, to be a hero in today's society you have to wield a totally different type of characteristics.

• First off you have to be kind and treat everyone with compassion. Always go out of your way to do something nice for others even when it might be a pain in the butt to do so.
• Second, you have to be loyal and trustworthy. No one is going to want someone to be their hero if they can't trust them with the smallest things, let alone their life. 
• Third, a hero should be confident but humble in his abilities. Although some people might like douche bag major league baseball stars to be their heroes, I prefer someone who likes to be modest and not draw attention to himself. 
• Fourth, a hero should be courageous and not be afraid to lay down his or her life for their friends or family. 
• Lastly, a hero should be someone that can be looked up to all the time, whether it be in times of prosperity or times of trouble. Hero's need to give people a sense of hope that they will be there for them when the time comes to do so.

So although my list of heroic characteristics is mostly intangible traits that don't relate to having big muscles or being a good warrior and fighter, I believe that to be a hero in today's society you have to possess some if not all of these traits.