Unlikely Heroes of All Sorts

Most animals lack the intelligence and intentionality necessary to qualify as heroes, but there are some, including chimpanzees, gorillas, dolphins, whales, dogs, cats, elephants, pigs, horses, and parrots, who have filled that role and whose stories are most interesting.

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A hero has historically been defined as a person, almost always a man, who was an illustrious warrior, and who, in the face of danger, combated adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. In addition to those in the military, likely heroes are to be found among police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and such. There are any number of factors that can make a person unlikely to be a hero. Among them are age, disability, and character traits. Unlikely heroes sometimes step up to the plate to help others when no one else will. Today, an individual can be considered a hero if, by their actions or characterological examples, they selflessly make significant positive contributions to the well-being of others.

For the actions of a protagonist to be considered heroic, no matter how positive the outcome might be, a component of intentionality must be involved. Intentionality requires self-awareness and self-awareness involves the related concept of empathy. Intentionality, self-awareness, and empathy, along with problem-solving ability, comprise the foundation of intelligence. Most animals lack the intelligence and intentionality necessary to qualify as heroes, but there are some, including chimpanzees, gorillas, dolphins, whales, dogs, cats, elephants, pigs, horses, and parrots, who have filled that role and whose stories are most interesting.

Author	David Ritchey
Cover	Paperback
ISBN	9781951556181
Pages	96
Size	5.5 x 8.5
Year Published	2020

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About the Author

After being educated in economics at Yale University, David Ritchey served five years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, including a year in Vietnam. Back in civilian life, he initially became a businessman as he had been trained but, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, he dropped out, got a divorce, moved to a remote old stone farmhouse and took up fine art photography as his vocation, winning over 60 awards during the next fifteen years.

During that period, he became fascinated with the psychology and neurology of both creativity and metaphysics and returned to school to train as a psychotherapist. During his fifteen years of clinical practice specializing in hypnotherapy, he undertook a twelve-year project to research and write about such subjects and his first book, The H.I.S.S. of the A.S.P., was published in 2003. Writing proved to be every bit as rewarding as photography and became his primary vocation. Being an inveterate learner, he focused on non-fiction subjects, enjoying the research as much as the writing. His more than forty published works have won over 25 literary awards. His books can be found at www.davidritchey-author.com and online book stores.

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His avocations have included scuba diving, sailing, skiing, tennis, golf, gardening, woodworking, dogs, magic, bridge, and Scrabble. He has two adult children, Harper and Mac, and one almost-adult grandchild, Brendan. He lives in historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and spends most of his time either writing or engaging in stimulating conversations over restaurant meals with close friends.