We Are All Heroes

 

A hero is someone that is larger than life with abilities beyond the norm. Of course, there are comic book heroes with special abilities, non human powers. On a practical level, we tend to idolize people in power, athletes, celebrities and the super wealthy. These people due have characteristics that are worthy of reproducing but they are human and have multiple negative characteristics as well. I’ve never completely idolized one person for this reason. I take the traits that I deem extraordinary from multiple people and I blend them to create the person I want to be, the hero I strive to be. Let’s face it, we all don’t have the ability to innovate like Elon Musk or Bill Gates but we still can be extraordinary in our own way. Apply these traits together with your station in life and you can still be a commendable person.

 

I had written this rambling of words a few years ago but, for some reason, I never published it. The timing couldn’t be better in this period of the pandemic of Covid-19. Todays heroes are now the people we normally marginalized, people we often passed and took their work for granted. The janitors, truck drivers, grocery store workers, delivery workers, etc., who are normally at the bottom of societies pyramid. And, of course, the nurses, doctors, health workers, and first responders are all heroes as well. We’ve all known this, we just have a deeper appreciation for them. They risk their lives everyday while we stay home in attempt to flatten the pandemic. They all keep us fed and healthy and contribute to our well being.

We often idealize the wealthy and celebrities but neither is a characteristic of being a hero. Feats of courage, strength and ingenuity in the face of danger makes a person a hero, not their status in society.

Be safe everyone!