Archive for March 16th, 2005

2005.03.16

Once Upon a Time in America Part Five

Once upon a time in America we had heroes. They were not perfect human beings, but they saw something that needed doing and they did it. They were in the right place at the right time and did the right thing. These were the people who inspired us because of their uncompromising natures and their desire to be more than they were. Young people wanted to imitate their heroes.

Neil Armstrong and his walk on the moon. President Kennedy and his call to public service. The Reverend Martin Luther King and his march towards equality. Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio and their quests to be the greatest ball players they could be. The Founding Brothers of America still command the greatest respect we can give them, and how many kids wanted to learn how to fly because of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh? Not one of these folks were perfect people, but many looked up to them none the less and tried to follow their exemplary examples.

Today it seems we lack the celebrity heroes we once had. There are famous people in America, but we are more aware of their faults than their strengths. We stopped thinking of them as heroes because we saw that they were just human and we wanted more than that.

Yet heroes do exist today. They just are not praised widely and loudly, though they should be. There are people who stand up to criminal activity. There are police and firefighters who, despite criticism, save lives everyday. There are the doctors and nurses who help even the uninsured and the lawyers who do pro bono cases because they believe in their client’s rights and innocence. Our military is full of heroes with a consuming sense of loyalty and duty to America. Teachers do their parts to educate the next generations of citizens.

Millions of people contribute the health, wealth, and well being of our great nation. Look around you and you’ll see heroes everyday. You are a hero when you help your neighbor in hard times, or pick up a piece of garbage on the streets and put it in the bin. Be your own hero and people will respect and admire you for it.