A person performs a feat when he achieves something extraordinary. Normally a feat is accompanied by a certain personal risk and a courageous and determined attitude. It is not enough that something is difficult for it to be considered a feat, as it requires that you incorporate a great deal of courage and determination.
The exploits in history
In the study of past events, it is common to find events starring illustrious characters, who are usually warriors, political leaders, national heroes or explorers. Most of them have passed into posterity because they have accomplished something of unusual value, that is, a feat.
The exploits in fiction
In the history of literature and in the cinema we find many examples of heroic characters. Being considered a hero is only possible if some feat is completed. It is possible to speak of some common features in most feats in fiction: a situation of extreme difficulty, generalized fear on the part of the majority and the exceptional figure of the hero who overcomes difficulties and fear.
This scheme can be found in the stories of antiquity and in the current scripts of television series. The stories of great feats are stimulating because they tell memorable episodes and, at the same time, because they allow the reader or the viewer to find a reference and a role model, the hero.
The exploits in sport
The ancient Greeks had three types of heroes: real characters with unique abilities (for example, Alexander the Great), some mythological characters (among many others we could remember Prometheus snatching fire from the gods) and, finally, athletes Olympians. A victor in the Olympic games became a hero. In the 21st century we continue to use this approach and the sports hero continues to perform great feats, which can be measured in the number of goals, in a new world record or in any extraordinary sporting feat.
The flip side of some sporting feats
The human being seeks recognition from others and this makes performing a feat a way to achieve success and fame. It is totally legitimate to seek applause and admiration, but sometimes illicit means are used to achieve this, as is the case with some sporting feats that have been achieved through doping or other types of cheating. When this happens the hero falls from grace and his feat ceases to have the same meaning.
Photos: iStock - proxyminder / mihailomilovanovic
