ABSTRACT
For one to qualify as a hero, does one have to win? Do heroes, by definition, succeed? Put another way, is it the success in the heroic endeavor that acts an example of heroism? How important is success with regard to our understanding of heroism? Perhaps we are thinking of “success” in overly narrow terms. This chapter considers the question of consequences relative to heroism as presented in students’ examples. Four themes were present in students’ responses: faith, meaning, commitment and unintended consequences. Faith is more than blithe and abandoned belief. Meaning is both created and honored in heroic action. The commitment to others (not so much an outcome) without condition renders the shape of consequences far less important.
