How courage became content — and why meaning still matters.
Once, every culture had its own idea of the hero — a figure who stood against chaos, carried the weight of others, and dared to believe that one life could make a difference. But somewhere along the way, heroism lost its footing. The divine grew quiet. The moral center blurred. And the heroic became something we watched, not something we lived.
In this episode of the T.O.P. Podcast, Michael DiMatteo traces the long arc of heroism across the world — from Gilgamesh and Arjuna, to Sundiata Keita of Mali, Joan of Arc, and Harriet Tubman. Each one, in their own language and time, faced the same question: what is courage when the world no longer believes in it?
From the ancient epics to modern disillusionment, DiMatteo explores how the heroic once bound humanity to the sacred — and how the modern age stripped it bare.
Reason replaced reverence.
Systems replaced sacrifice.
And soon, courage became content — a story we consume, not one we live.
Through the eyes of his own characters, Flavius Fettotempi and Ramazan, DiMatteo reflects on what remains of heroism today. Both men act without applause, fight without reward, and believe even when belief seems impossible. They remind us that courage, in its truest form, asks for nothing — not victory, not recognition, only conviction.
The End of Heroism isn’t an elegy — it’s a mirror. It asks us to look at who we are, what we admire, and what we’ve forgotten. Because perhaps the final act of heroism isn’t to conquer or to die, but to keep faith when the world has moved on.
Suggested Reading
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Mahabharata
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The Song of Sundiata
The Life of Joan of Arc
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
On Heroes and Hero-Worship – Thomas Carlyle
Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche
All the King’s Men – Robert Penn Warren