A different perspective--a societal perspective--regarding heroes presented itself to me this morning listening to television coverage of the crisis in Egypt. On a personal level, prior to the coverage of this story, I was averse to the notion of heroes. Yet, I acknowledge that heroes exist in public opinion.
The leader of Egypt--Hosni Mubarak--was described as a "war hero" of the war between Egypt, and Israel in October, 1967. Immediately following that description, the anchor said that it is likely that the Egyptian protesters did not care about that fact.
Am I being optimistic to think that we might be moving away from heroes--from the undue deference to heroes?
I watched coverage of President Obama awarding a soldier publicly for saving the lives of some of his comrades. The details of the situation are lost to my memory for the most part. Yet, what does stand out was the soldier's response to the award. When dubbed a "hero," the soldier ascribed his actions as being what anyone would do in a similar situation. He lived up to the oath of service he took--acted upon the military instruction he was given.
Yet, as I move condemning hero in whole, I am reminded of what true value hero may have, and the good hero may do, is in how it is used. At Thanksgiving, CNN airs a program, which is entitled CNN's Heroes. Viewers are asked to submit candidates, who are doing work that benefits others globally. At Thanksgiving, the work of--the causes championed by--ten individuals is profiled. The program does more to focus on the work--the causes--than it does to trumpet individuals.
So, I pray we may move away from worshiping the heroes individually. Rather, may we worship--honor--the work of the heroes by means of our own actions. It requires more work. Yet, I think it enables us to live lives with greater integrity.
