In my opinion, heroism is having the courage to stand by what you believe in without fear of public criticism or social disgrace. It is living out your true self and ideas without having to resort to falsehood or dishonesty. A person who displays heroism is moral, selfless, unique and ethical. It is a person who makes an impact on others and makes sacrifices for the sake of others. The smallest act of kindness can be of greater value to the recipient of that act. A hero does not think of themselves before acting, they only consider the consequences if they do not act at all, so they act on instinct. A hero gives of themselves despite the consequences and does not accept nor expect any rewards and will not wait around for thanks or praise. A hero believes all people are generally good and that is why they are so willing to put themselves in harms' way to help someone else. There are no thoughts behind their heroic deeds. In the Sermon on the Mount I consider Jesus a hero. Even though he did not perform any heroic acts, he had the courage to stand by what he believed in without fear of criticism. Jesus displays a lot of the characteristics I spoke of in my opinion of a hero. With “the beatitudes” he taught everyone how to be blessed by God and reach the Kingdom of Heaven without fear of the consequences. In teaching what is know as the “Golden Rule” which Jesus states, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets,” Jesus gives us the standard in which naturally selfish people can gauge their actions. Jesus knew that because of his teachings the religious and political leaders did not agree with his teachings and that he would have to eventually sacrifice his own life to save us. That in my opinion is a form of heroism. In the novel The Handmaid's Tale the main character, Offred, in my opinion was not a hero and did not display heroism. Offred is intelligent, p