Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Being a HERO

What does it mean to be a Hero?

     The word hero sure gets thrown around a lot lately.
    
     over the ages, the word hero has changed and had several meanings. Of course it has always been used to identify someone in the community who has done a(n) heroic deed, such as saving a drowning child, etc...

     Lately it seems like anybody who carries a gun is referred to as a hero.
     This is when things started to get "weird" for me.
     Calling Firemen and EMT's 'heroes' was fine with me.
They do a job where they are likely going to have to save somebody's life.
Firemen and EMTs will often do some dangerous things to get to and rescue a victim and some of that work is certainly "Heroic".

     Then they started calling cops Heroes.
Okay. Again, in the line of his work, a cop MAY come across a situation where he can do something heroic, but this is a known possibility when one chooses this profession. And the compensation isn't too bad either.

     To then just call ALL of them heroes is to begin to diminish The honor that the title is meant to bestow.
 
Many today have started calling soldiers heroes.

     This is where we have to stop and question ourselves; 

     "just WHO really IS a hero, and then, are not we all in some way?

     My preference would be that we call people who do heroic things, Heroes.
We cannot call people heroes just because they strap on a gun, and in my opinion it is HARDER to get that title if you DO have a gun.

     A hero is called such because he risked/gave his life to save another/all.

     Shooting up a drug house or 'safe haven', or shooting up the wrong house and killing grandmothers and children, do NOT qualify as 'heroism'. Those who choose this line of work know this when they sign up, and more often than not, the RISKS of the job are the most likely reason they choose this line of work.
     
     So we can hardly call people a hero for 'doing their job'.

     My greatest thanks to those who HAVE demonstrated heroic qualities in concern for their fellow man. May your examples be an inspiration to all.