Defining Everyday Heroes
In April, we will begin the process of identifying and recognizing 12 everyday heroes and thanking them for their service to the community. First, we need to get to work and define the traits that distinguish individual leaders as “Everyday Heroes.” For the next week, we will collect thoughts from YOU about what makes someone an everyday hero. Then, the complete list will be compiled and criteria set for nominations.
What specific traits do you believe everyday heroes display?
So often when people think of what a hero is, they think of fictional characters like Batman, Superman, the Xmen, etc etc. People who help in a crisis and are out there to save the world and make it a better place. To me, a hero is someone who makes a difference day to day in the lives of multiple people, or even just one person. A hero is someone who can be counted on, and is respected. A hero is someone who is trustworthy and who is there to listen to someone who is having problems and give advice when asked. A hero may not make noticeable differences in the world, but what a hero does do is make differences in the lives of those around them, and do it solely because they care and not for what they could potentially gain from it.
The qualities I think a hero should possess are:
-Trustworthiness
-Honesty
-Accountability
-Unselfishness
-Loyalty
-Caring
-Loving
-Passionate
An every day person can be a hero, even if it is just to one person.
I think that Erin hit the nail on the head. I would really just like to throw one thought into the ring. The one trait that I would add that makes a person a hero is the attempt to improve the world, even if only a tiny bit, for someone else.
One day, not too long ago, I was feeling a little down (and cynical about the world) and I was in the Monastery, where I live and work, and was looking at the prayer board. This board has notes and letters from people all over the world, asking the Monks at Holy Cross to pray for some one in need. Just then, one of the Monks, an 83 year old named Edward, came along and I asked him- “Father do you all really look at this board and pray for these people along with everything else you do.” This little monk, with a booming voice and a South African accent said, “Oh yes, we do read the board and pray, everyday of our lives. We must set examples as Monks.” He went on to teach me a little latin: He said in his rich voice “Verba Sonnant, Examplia, Tonnant.” I asked this gentle man what this meant, and he said with enthusiasm, “words sound, examples, THUNDER.” He added the body language of raising his fist, as if he were throwing an upper cut across his chest. I have watched Brother Edward, and indeed the other monks, and have seen their examples of kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. They are cloistered, and yet, display great leadership from behind the enclosure. Leadership takes many shapes and forms it seems. I enjoy this website very much.
The definition of hero can be ambiguous. Sometimes heroes are people who cannot physically do for others due to a disability. But they are heroes because they possess virtues such as acceptance and harmony; I don’t think a hero needs to be someone who is a visual presence in a community. Physical disabilities do not enable some people to contribute in those ways, but they are often that solace in sea of cacophony. They can be that light in life full of darkness, just by offering a word or a thought, and can be inspirational to others who do not suffer from any disability.
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