We Can Be Heroes – Just for One Day

“We can be heroes — just for one day.”
“We can be heroes. Just for one day.”

As simple as that line may sound, it’s tattooed itself into my memory.
And those eight words are, here in the still almost spotless year of 2026, more relevant than ever.
At least that’s what I think.

Rarely before have I struggled so much to find the right words to close out the year and welcome a new one.
Still, I like this tradition — to bid farewell to the old, lived and survived year, even if it sometimes comes with a rhetorical kick in the rear.
We all wish for a new beginning, new opportunities and a bit of new luck — so that, by the end of 2026, we can say goodbye to life, and to this planet itself, with a slightly better feeling.

The state of our world has rarely been so tense, so dangerous, and so dystopian as the past year has shown all too clearly. Period.
So, there it is. That’s said.
Have a nice life — and goodbye.

“We can be heroes — just for one day.”

Why has this short line followed me for 49 years – almost without interruption?
The word hero always felt too lofty to me.
Those were the types who could handle any crisis with ease and, in passing, save the planet.
Not exactly a role I could ever claim for myself.
Those shoes were several dozen sizes too big.

But what is a hero, really?
The so-called Hero’s Journey was first described by an American named Joseph Campbell, a mythologist.
He outlined the typical adventure pattern that defines the life of a true hero — or heroine.

In an ordinary world, the heroine appears.
She is confronted with a challenge – often a dangerous one – but at first, she refuses to take it on.
Then, from the shadows, a mentor emerges – an advisor, a motivator.
The heroine leaves her familiar world and takes the first step into the unknown.

From that moment on, things get turbulent: she meets allies and enemies, faces trials, and ultimately reaches the greatest challenge of her story.
Will she overcome it or perish trying?
That’s what we call a dramatic arc.

And then – she succeeds.
She fulfills her mission and is rewarded.
She returns to her normal world, reward in hand.
But just when she thinks she can go back to normal life – guess what?
The next challenge arrives, because she’s already proven she’s capable of heroism.
Her final adventure brings something back – a mystical or hard-won piece of knowledge – that helps the world around her.

No, I don’t think David Bowie was pondering Campbell’s Hero’s Journey when he wrote “Heroes.”
His story was about two lovers – one in East Berlin, the other in the West.
Oh yes, love stories are real hero stories.
Anyone who’s ever been in one knows exactly what I mean.

“We can be heroes — just for one day.”

Those simple words – “You can be a hero, just for one day” – often motivated me not to give up during tough times.
To take the next step even when there were no guarantees.
And that was a good thing.
Many doors and chances would never have appeared, let alone opened, if giving up had been my first instinct.

Today, on the first day of 2026, I keep playing “Heroes” by David Bowie again and again.
Because this still untouched new year should become a year of heroism.
Not just for one day.

Excuse me – what?

“We're nothing, and nothing will help us
Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, just for one day.”

Everyday heroes are needed more than ever. Heroes in the local community. Heroes who dare to take on the challenge of organising themselves with neighbours and friends to make the world – our world – a little bit better.
Happy Heroic New Year.

“Yes, We can be heroes — just for one day.”