Who's the Real Hero?
Pro: Heroes Should Be Special
It is no fun to read one more newspaper story about a local hero. The track star who "runs like the wind" is a hero. The woman who saved her own dog is a hero. Even a dog can be called a hero! People love stories about hero dogs. The dog smells smoke. The dog barks. That doesn’t seem so special.
We should pick our heroes with care. Once, heroes were kings. They fought and died for others. Heroes’ actions should be special. Did you save lives? You could be a hero. Did you yell, “Watch out for the car?” Not so much.
If an action is merely human, let’s say so. If you see a falling brick, it’s human to cry, “Look out!” If your dog falls in the water, it makes sense to help it out. These actions are part of being human. We should all be able to do such things.
Rosa Parks was a hero. She helped other people earn their rights. Stephen Hawking is a hero. He cannot walk, but he can think and teach. Salvatore Guinta is a hero. He saved the lives of his friends. Can you live up to their examples? You could be a hero. Did you help to win a ball game? Not so much.
Con: A Hero May Be Like You or Me
For good reason, we respect the work of firefighters and police officers. However, they aren’t the only heroes we have. We should not set the bar too high. We might miss the heroes right in our own backyard.
Imagine a single mom. Her dreams are on hold, but her children eat well and go to school. She is a hero. Imagine a student ball player. He does well in school. He plays hard on the field. He is a hero. Being a hero shouldn’t be an exclusive club. Many people have what it takes to be heroes.
A true hero is a looking glass that we look into. A true hero makes us want to be better than we are. The hero next door gives us something to live up to. We want to be like him or her, and we can.