Not long ago, I told someone he was “a hero this morning.” The man who calls himself “Pinky,” chuckled and replied, “Nah. I’m nobody’s hero. Heroes die. You never really hear about ‘em ‘till they’re dead. Who wants that?” I laughed and said maybe he was right, but it might depend on what it takes to be a hero. Merriam-Webster says “a person admired for achievements and noble qualities or one who shows great courage” is a hero. I’ve observed that a hero will lay down his own interest to defend and protect someone weaker. Pinky and I would likely agree that a hero is willing to die in the defense of the weak; but, must he die? Must she? I submit that sacrificing personal gain, desires and benefits for the sake of another, is heroism. In a big way, this might be walking away from personal pursuits to care for an ill or aging parent or for an infant child. In a small way, it might be offering change to cover the needs of someone at the register in front of you, who’s fumbling in search of the right coins. Opportunity for self-sacrifice will very often present in a fleeting moment with a request to turn your attention away from whatever often holds it to really connect with and see into the eyes of one who seeks your attention. These days, putting down the screen, looking away from it and looking into the eyes of the other humans in the house, is becoming more and more heroic, considering how many of us are feeling increasingly detached and emotionally disjointed (particularly our children and teens). Much depends upon today’s adults. If we don’t set the example of heroism, the odds that the rising generation will produce heroes are greatly reduced. The time for courage and nobility is upon us. If you would have a hero come to your rescue one day, it is incumbent upon you to be someone’s hero now, even in small ways. You won’t have to look far to find an opportunity to lay down your personal interests in the service of someone weaker (or in a weaker position), than you. Many people wouldn’t consider someone giving me a stack of old newspapers for a high school theater program props-making project to be an act of heroism; Pinky is right about that. Heroes die; he was right about that, too. However, a hero need not be dead to be recognized. If dying means losing or laying down one’s life (perhaps in a metaphorical sense), let us consider how we might do this while the heart still beats. Heroes are among us. Be one of them. Be well.

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