The Heroic Past—pioneers, innovators, men and women who changed the world through hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice. These stories leave us feeling uplifted and inspired. Human history is littered with these stories. No civilization is exempt. The Greeks have Achilles, Heracles, Jason, and Ajax. In America, we have George Washington crossing the Delaware, enduring the harsh winter of Valley Forge, and defeating the British at Yorktown; Daniel Boon pushing the boundaries of the frontier embodying the spirit of the explorer; Joshua Laurance Chamberlin, who inspired his men to hold Little Round Top and prevent the Confederate troops from winning the day at Gettysburg; Amelia Earhart, one of the first female pilots, who set off to circumnavigate the earth on a plane—something that had never been accomplished. The purpose in telling their stories is to inspire people into believing that virtues like courage, strength, and will can win the day. These stories provide a people with hope and bring us together as a society.

However, film and literature both like to explore more than just the light. Art shows us there is a dark side of nostalgia once we take off the rose-colored glasses.

Film example, Fort Apache, 1948 by John Ford

Light side:

The trailer introduces us to “For Apache, last western outpost. Here live the long, lean cavalrymen who fear no living soul…” An ambitious Lt. Colonel who sets out to distinguish himself, Owen Thursday captures the renegade Chief Cochise and safeguards pioneers on the western frontier. Thursday honorably dies in battle against a known enemy and his deeds are immortalized in history. If this were the only side to the story, he would be a hero worth emulating.

Dark side:

Pomp and ceremony cover over a dark theme of duplicity and betrayal and furthers the tension between Thursday and Captain York. York is a man of honor who keeps his word and respects the men who serve with him. (Someone truly worthy of the term hero). But the film centers on the internal conflict of Lt. Colonel Owen Thursday. They gave him the post on a fort far from the activity of the Indian Wars. Here, he cannot distinguish himself. He wallows in resentment until the opportunity comes along to achieve greatness and leave behind a legacy of heroism. But he builds his legacy on a betrayal of Chief Cochise (lies about the reason he wants to meet) and betrays Captain York’s honor to lure Cochise back into US territory. His greatest desire is to live up to the legacy of the heroes who came before. But he is no hero, only a shadow of the once great US Cavalrymen.

Not everyone who is called hero is one. Some like Captain York are. History is more complex than all cavalry men are heroes. The trouble with painting history with one brush is that we fail to see that humans are not all angels or devils. There were good men and selfish ones who were called hero. It is not our place to judge them, simply seek to be as noble as they appear, and more honorable than they were. Often, when we take an honest look at the past, we see some of our own flaws and failing in it.

Learning from the good and the bad is the point. This is why nostalgia can be both a powerful source of inspiration and a dangerous blinder. When we are unable to see our heroes as flawed, we risk failing in the same way they did.