Myths and heroes - To what extent can the choices that people make, condition and influence their lives and have an impact on the world they live in?

Extract

[...] From the moment someone understands this, his life will radically change. Life is a gift, but life is short. So why are we wasting time and opportunities? Why are we still letting the ghosts of the past and the fears of the future haunting us? That's what the teacher is trying to say. As he knows that many of his students are not enjoying their lives, he's trying to help them by teaching them to his philosophy. This man is like a prophet of happiness, a model. [...]

[...] Heroes are not just great athletes or patriotic heroes as firefighters. The people I have introduced you are models who embody a philosophy of their own. They made choices that changed their lives, some of them can even be seen as sacrifices. For me, every courageous person, who fights for values, who wants to make the world a better place, who achieves actions and inspires a lot of people can be called a hero. We all have a part of the hero in us. [...]

[...] Myths and heroes - To what extent can the choices that people make, condition and influence their lives and have an impact on the world they live in? I will talk about the notion of myths and heroes. A myth can be defined as a popular or traditional belief, an unusual story about gods or heroes. But the term hero doesn't always represent a mythological figure or a superhero. Indeed, a hero can be a person who is admired for his or her achievements, as a fireman or a defender of human rights. [...]

[...] People choosing to withdraw from the society Finally, I would like to present you people who go further in their commitment and who choose to withdraw from the society. It is the case of Christopher McCandless, a young American student, who chose in the 90s to exchange his materialistic life for a return to nature. Thus, he gave up his identity, his family, his friends and went on the road without any money. He travelled through the USA to Alaska, where he tried to survive to the cold and hunger. [...]

[...] He is one of those who have the courage to change, to move away from the norm, to make their life and their world a better one. I think he can embody a kind of hero of happiness. II. Notion of freeganism As a second step, I'll introduce you to the notion of freeganism, a movement from the USA that we studied in a video. Freegan are people part free and part vegan, who wants to find food without paying for it. [...]