WE COULD BE HEROS: I generally try not to think about bugs too much. Just seeing them on the steps or crawling up a wall is enough for me. They are definitely not one of nature’s more aesthetic creations – too many spindly legs and jagged tentacles and black shells and stuff like that. But I will give bugs credit for one thing … they do behave like little heros. Ants and bees and wasps and other “social” insects will instantly give up their lives to defend their group (albeit, they don’t have any self-consciousness to foster any regrets about it).

As for human heroism … there is a surprising amount of it out there. Surprising to me, anyway. I try to think of myself as a humane person, but in the heroism department I probably fall short. I really don’t know if I would jump into an ice-cold river to save a drowning child. Thankfully, I’ve never been in that situation. An act like that requires an impulsive mindset (or someone who is a really good swimmer), and honestly, I don’t do well in impulsive situations.

When I was young, when I had my whole life ahead of me, heroism seemed like an easy and natural thing – even if death were to be the result. (But then again, I watched a lot of TV back then). Now, in my late middle age, with not all that many years left to go, risking my life to save another just doesn’t seem quite as simple. Maybe I’m just in an advanced stage of cynicism and burn-out.

But then again — I do have to wonder (partly as rationalization against my cowardliness) if heroism is a genetic thing. Science seems to be finding more evidence (inconclusive though it still is) that much of our social behavior has genetic origins or precursors. I’ve always had trouble with the generally shared but unspoken rules of social engagement (e.g., body language, tone of voice, sexual connotations, etc.), which are potentially determined to some degree by our genes. (Asperger’s, you ask? I’ll discuss that at a later time). So maybe my “hero genes” are a bit defective? Or is that I’m just not ready yet?

Hmmm … with inscrutable questions like that to deal with, who has time for the sound of one hand clapping? Or one hand swatting a bug?