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After 210 days at sail around the world Australia’s daughter of the seas has returned home and we couldn’t be more proud.

However, with the wide selection of accolades that can be given to this 16 year old girl from Queensland, none has caused more controversy than that of “hero.”

Throughout some of the responses to the media observed there seems to be a division between whether Jessica can be labelled a hero or not. The most popular argument being something along the lines of her ‘not saving any lives’ and therefore should not be considered a hero. Not even the girl of the hour agrees with the label.

But for what it’s worth I believe it pays to revisit the definition of “hero.” And in Jessica’s case, I do believe she’s a hero. After all, she did pull off 210 gruelling days at sea, silencing the critics and curbing conventional preconceptions of teenage girls. Who knows what extraordinary things could spring up from this (see: the Ripple Effect).

And for those who complain about the ‘excessive’ coverage and think “who cares?” I suppose you’d rather enjoy news that reminds of the cruelty and suffering around the world? Finally some good news comes our way amongst the mountains of crap going on – soak it up for what it’s worth while it lasts.

When reflecting on what insightful nuggets of knowledge have shaped our views of the world it is truly a wonderful faculty to be able to quote such works, whether it be a renown novel, a breakthrough journal or an insightful article. The victories of each generation are a reflection of the works that came before them.

But for us millennials and the generations following where are our works finding their home? Social media and networking is facilitating a wealth of ideas and experiences in ways never before imaginable, but with text flowing through like a rapid current where will the people of tomorrow quote our ideas and values if the words we write don’t stay still?

Perhaps it’s time for us to log off Facebook and log on paper…