HEROES FOUND!!!

2nd July 2012 - "HEROES FOUND!"


YES!  Heroes still live in this world!  Check this site out: http://www.reallifesuperheroes.org/


What a cool concept!  If you read through their About Us section, Real Life Super Heroes is a civil service organization built around the ideals represented by superhero stories.  No, they're not other-worldly beings with super powers or mutant humans with special abilities.  They're people, like you and I who hope to make a difference wherever they are. 


These Real Life Super Heroes feel the tug to do more & help humanity.  Some have helped stop crimes in progress, helped solve crimes, or even helped prevent crimes by raising awareness.  Some of these Heroes have helped the injured in need or just helped serve society with Charity Work, Hospital Visits, & other general helps.  I think what they do is awesome!  "So shines a good deed in a weary world." So shines a bright light in a dark world.


Reading through the RLSH's Creed: http://www.reallifesuperheroes.org/about/creed/  (which is awesome), I thought it misses something.  I'm not sure if misses is quite the right word but it inspired a thought in me.  What is the number one thing all Heroes must have?  What is the bottom line most important thing?  Is it a super power or a flashy costume?  No, as far as I know it, the Superhero Punisher (Marvel Comics) is just a guy with a gun (actually a few guns) who barely has any costume at all.  So what is the baseline requirement to be considered a Hero?


Dictionary.com defines hero as:

1.  a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

I posted only the first 2 definitions, as the others do not apply to this post.  The first short paragraph on Wikipedia's  article Hero is:


A hero (heroine is usually used for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.^[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.


So, looking at these 2 definitions I would say that bottom line, a Hero must have Courage.  More then anything a hero is the person who stands up when others back down, who does that which is scary to help, save, or benefit another.  They do what might be terrifying but is most certainly right.


I once heard someone say that Courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to do what you know is right in the face of fear.  I challenge all of us to take the Courage Pledge:

• Everyday I will do at least one thing that challenges, scares & probably stretches me.  I will choose to be courageous whenever I can.

This act of courage might be something small like "liking" a controversial post on Facebook that you believe in or it might be saying something when you normally wouldn't.  It might even be something big like rescuing someone in harms way. 


The point is to challenge yourself to do a little bit each day.  I take this pledge to be Courageous everyday & I hope you'll join me.  And if you feel so moved, post a comment about an act of courage you perform.  We can all be heroes to someone. Even if no ones sees it & all it means is that we can stand a little taller & at look ourselves in the mirror with a smile.