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If the 20th century is remembered as the century of civil struggles for the making of democracy, the 21st century will be recorded as the century of civil resistance for the preservation of democracy. Most totalitarian regimes, either fascist or communist, have been defeated in the past 80 years, either by military action or by nonviolent revolution of citizens. It goes without saying that the modern human condition has been inextricably bound up with the ability of individuals or groups to make a difference to their destinies by fighting for freedom and home rule. Undoubtedly, these could be considered as exemplary men and women who struggled to keep democracy safe while undergoing terrible personal sufferings.

In a world like ours where most democracies are endangered by the lack of passion and the conformist attitude of the citizens, to see the young students of Hong Kong and the Ukrainians fighting for their freedom and democracy is very promising. That being so, one can say that the democratic contract, as much as the process of democratisation of dictatorships, are both in need of heroes. As such, if Pericles was the democratic hero of the Athenians in 5th century BC and Nelson Mandela that of South Africa and its democratic dream, today Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the hero of the Ukrainian democracy and its uncertain future. A former comedian, Zelenskyys journey in politics has been that of a courageous soul facing his destiny and reminding us of sacrifice for human dignity and democracy.

In his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell defines a hero as one who battles either personal or historical limitations and who becomes a source through which his society is reborn. Campbell describes a hero as a powerful human being who embarks on a quest to win a war, gain a mystical object. That is why the hero should undergo a series of tests or trials. For Zelenskyy, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a great test of courage and a learning process of democratic heroism. Even if Ukraine loses the war of democracy against Russian authoritarianism, Zelenskyy will always be remembered as a democratic hero who achieved a moral victory against Vladimir Putin.

The irony of history is that Zelenskyy never had the intention of becoming a leader, in the sense of someone who goes about the practical business of the masses. And yet, in his confrontation with the Russian Leviathan, democracy, for him, has become a matter of conviction. His pursuit of the democratic ideal has been very much like that of a Homeric hero who has no limits in achieving his goals. This moral and political effort makes him even a more inspiring leader for a democratic world that is desperately looking for democratic heroes. The truth is that without a democratic leadership, la Mandela, democratic passion cannot be maintained for long. People often talk about strong and specific democratic leadership. What is forgotten, however, is that there are many leaders around the world who are democratically elected, yet who have neither political courage nor the moral integrity to fight the rise of authoritarianism.

The war in Ukraine is unbelievable and tragic and all the more gripping and inspiring for having at its centre a former comedian with a great humanistic appeal. Let us not forget what Shakespeare said, Be not afraid of greatness: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Today, Zelenskyys greatness is in defending democracy, its values, and its future.

The tragedy of Ukraine is an important page of our political history, raising urgent questions about the fragility of our democracies, resistance to an abuse of power that carries itself as far as it will go (as Baron de Montesquieu used to say), and the moral power of the powerless Ukrainians. As history shows us, chaotic circumstances have always demanded heroes to challenge the evil forces at work. But there is another related matter that concerns the future of Ukraine and the democratic fate of a politician like Zelenskyy.

When Vaclav Havel and his fellow Czech intellectuals and artists signed the Charter 77 against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, they dared to confront an ideological power with the only thing at their disposal their search for truth and an idea of democracy as a form of associated living where political actors can recognise themselves in the challenges. Tragedies of democracy demonstrate that great human suffering can encourage individual claims to dignity and freedom. Today, more than ever, the spirit of democracy in Ukraine is confronted with a political tragedy in which the feelings of horror and sorrow are accompanied with heroic moments of civil resistance and democratic heroism. After all, the salvation of democracy lies nowhere else than in the human love for democracy.

This column first appeared in the print edition on April 2, 2022 under the title A leader for the time. The writer is Noor-York Chair in Islamic Studies, York University, Toronto

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy will always be remembered as a democratic hero - The Indian Express