Thoughts.com Blogs - Thoughts on heroes

View Blog

Thoughts on heroes

The word "hero" evokes a different image for all of us. Some of us see a man in blue tights flying over our heads. Some of us see men and women in uniform fighting enemies oversees, or perhaps patrolling the streets here at home. Some see doctors, teachers, single parents, activists. But what defines them?

There are accepted definitions for the word "hero," of course. Aside from the hero sandwich, these definitions tend to fall into two categories:

1. Someone who exemplifies accepted heroic qualities and accomplishments, and is admired by his/her peers.
2. The main character of a story.

The first definition will naturally be the one most people think of when they define the heroes here in the real world. I, on the other hand, prefer the second. While it certainly can be argued that people are not created equal, each living being is born with the potential to fulfill themselves in their own way. And each person's journey in this world has value, even if that value exists only for them. So instead of shouting the virtues of soldiers and fire fighters and EMTs, today I'm going to honor the people who are brave enough to be their own heroes. They may never save a single life, or strike a political blow against tyranny, or even teach a small child to read. But they still have a story.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage just to live. And it happens entirely too often that we give up. We hole up in our homes and refuse to experience life. We alienate anyone we might ever care about to avoid getting hurt. We grow complacent in our own mediocrity and forget to put one foot in front of the other and continue along our path. But there are some who find the courage to continue living. There are some who dare to dream, dare to love, dare to throw themselves into the line of fire to become who they are. There are some who crash and burn in a glorious rain of fire. And there are even some who rise from those ashes, dust themselves off, and keep on living. These people are the main characters in their own stories. These are the heroes.