February 12, 2025
How The Mundane Becomes Heroic
In a world that often glorifies the grand, the extraordinary (and the downright dishonest), it’s easy to overlook the quiet heroism embedded in our daily lives. From the repetitive tasks that sustain us to the unnoticed efforts that build our resilience, the mundane holds a power we often fail to recognise.
Hannah Arendt, one of the 20th century’s most profound thinkers, challenges us to reconsider what it means to be heroic in the modern age.
A non-conformist in both thought and demeanour, and never without a cigarette in hand, Arendt’s wit and rebellious nature are legendary.
A political theorist, historian, and philosopher, Arendt is best known for her work on totalitarianism and the human condition.
During the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the major organisers of the Holocaust, Arendt rose to prominence and controversy, through her introduction of the term“ the banality of evil”.
Her thesis was that Eichmann was neither a true fanatic nor a sociopath, but merely an unremarkable man motivated by shallow goals.
Criticised by some as an apologia, it was later considered a seminal moment in our understanding of the danger of walking negligently into horror and cruelty.
The Human Condition
In The Human Condition, Arendt explores how the myth of Hercules and his Twelve Labours have shaped our perception of work and labour, often as symbols of extraordinary struggle
and resilience.
While the phrase "Herculean effort" evokes images of grand, near-impossible feats, Arendt argues that today’s repetitive and unglamorous struggles are Herculean in their own way.
Hercules' Tasks
Hercules faced twelve monumental labours designed to kill him by the vengeful Hera.
Among these were slaying the Nemean Lion, whose skin was impenetrable to weapons; retrieving the golden apples of the Hesperides, guarded by a hundred-headed dragon; and battling the Lernaean Hydra, a water snake that grew two heads for each one severed. Each task required Hercules to push beyond human limits.
For Arendt, the grandeur of Hercules’ deeds stand in stark contrast to modern labour.
Instead of unique, varied challenges, we face the unyielding repetition of essential tasks. The effort required is not marked by danger or dramatic triumph but by the relentlessness of the mundane.
"What makes the effort painful, is not danger but its relentless repetition."
HANNAH ARENDT
Comparing your ability to endure the Northern Line at rush hour to Hercules’ ability to reroute the Alpheus and Peneus rivers requires a mental leap, but as runners we recognise the value of relentlessness.
Each step, seemingly insignificant on its own, becomes part of a greater journey. The essence of running is not found in a single, victorious moment but in the accumulation of effort.
The discipline to lace up your shoes on wet mornings, the willingness to push through fatigue, the acceptance of the process as its own reward form a collective experience that is difficult to explain to non-runners.
Each mile, like each task, builds strength, not through novelty, but through repetition. And through this repetition, and the transcendent state that emerges as we move, we are able to return to society renewed, with a better understanding of ourselves and those around us.
Heroism, then, is in the habit.
