Can you call yourself a hero? What if you are a hero, but you don't want to let that fact to go to your head? Even if you don't realize it, you could be saving the world for somebody every single day.
It's the little things - the choices we make as a function of our character - that make us heroes in every day life.
Some of us call it 'the butterfly effect', others may call it a 'tipping point' or 'catalyst' or 'trigger', but the impact of others throughout our life events - sometimes big, sometimes relatively small - can alter the course of our destiny.
My friend and fellow TC Douglas Centre board member, Connie Nightingale, recently reminded me of this story, which many of you probably know as well. More than one hundred years ago, when Tommy Douglas was a young boy, his doctors told him he would need to have his leg amputated. However, a well-known orthopedic surgeon agreed to treat the boy for free if his parents would allow medical students to observe. After several operations, the boy's leg was saved. Douglas, who is the father of medicare and the 'Greatest Canadian', was known to have shared the story of this experience as the very event that convinced him health care should be free for everyone.
IMAGINE what our country would look like if that surgeon had not used his brain and his heart together! There is no telling what intellect combined with compassion will accomplish in this world.
As Bob Dylan once said, 'A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.' Knowledge is freedom. If we have skills that can save lives and limbs, we would be irresponsible to not use those skills to do just that.
Perhaps being a super hero seems lofty to those who think one must possess a mutant gene or be impenetrable in some way. What makes heroism so accessible is the realization that every one of us has the choice to conduct ourselves as heroes ... or as villains.
Each true hero is but an individual feather in a massive wingspan that reaches beyond imagination. Being responsible for your corner of the galaxy means being a part of heroism as a whole.
The man who once played Superman in the movies, Christopher Reeve, became a quadriplegic as a result of an accident. Reeve once said, 'A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.' He proved this himself and most of us, by this definition, would have to admit that we are, deep down, some kind of heroes.
According to Robert Downey, Jr., the actor who plays Iron Man in the movies, 'We all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it's a verb.'
I agree with Iron Man. If love is a verb (and I believe it is), then hero is a verb as well. It's meaningless without action. One can think heroic thoughts, but unless one is willing to do heroic things, to truly create that ripple effect, it doesn't matter how much money or power he has. Freedom to choose is real power.
Every hero has powers. Some have money, as in Batman's case, which begets gadgets. Some have abilities through mutation or through super natural means.
Some can only give all glory to God for their ability to transcend what they have gone through in their lives. Others can't find the silver lining as easily, but they can be proud of their own hard work.
Life wouldn't be life and stories wouldn't be stories without archetypal themes and plot structures, but I like to think that art imitates life. We all struggle thematically to tell ourselves stories about ourselves. As our lives unfold, we begin to reframe our stories to fit new information. What used to be a victim situation is now an origin story for the greatest super hero of them all - ME!
Sometimes I wonder if I can really live up to the part and rise to the challenge. Then I remind myself that animals also often act as heroes. So, why can't I?
We wouldn't be human without our dark side, without our flaws. What makes us heroes is using those imperfections to find better ways to live. You just never know who you'll impact along the way.
