Do not go gently…
It is not the size of the dog in the fight; it is the size of the fight in the dog.
These are truly great quotes, the former by the poet, Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the latter by the bard, Mark Twain (1835-1910). I think it is fair to say that all of us “root for the underdog,” the little guy who overcomes tremendous odds to succeed. He takes on the mantle of the hero in our society. Western history is filled with such tales of bravery. I think that all of us can identify with Jason: from Jason and the Argonauts fame. (1) He overcame all odds to eventually win his throne back, though in the end he died alone and in penury, the result of uncontrolled hubris. This concept of the hero seems to have fallen away from our mutual consciousness. But, it is necessary to cement the values or each generation to the subsequent one: “Because (today’s) popular culture won’t shine a steady spotlight on real heroes, parents must by making their children aware of people who are actually deserving of their veneration. Parents need to talk to their children about what makes a hero and, in doing so, teach them about the values and beliefs that are exemplified by real heroes. Just as importantly, parents must learn who are the antiheroes (2) being pushed on their children by popular culture and explain why they’re actually unheroic. Believe it or not, there are real heroes out there in the spotlight, politicians, business and civic leaders, athletes, and entertainers — Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates, Geoffrey Canada, Roger Federer, Bono — as well as teachers, coaches, and others in our communities who actually embody the best of what the world represents. They have to be kept in the spotlight by parents so our children can see them for the real heroes that they are.” (3)
It is thus up to us as parents, teachers and coaches to identify the current heroes and laud and document them, accordingly. What is the mark of a contemporary hero you may ask? A hero represents everything good about society: strong, principled, humble, and decent. They lead exemplary lives, work hard, and care about the world in which they live. Mother Teresa (1910-1997), for example, decided to set up an institution for “the poorest of the poor” in Calcutta, India. She devoted her life to the starving, disenfranchised and the unwashed. “By 1996, Mother Teresa was operating 517 missions in more than 100 countries. Over the years, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity grew from twelve to thousands serving the poor in 450 centers around the world. The first Missionaries of Charity home in the United States was established in the South Bronx, New York; by 1984 the congregation operated 19 establishments throughout the US. … Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2003, she was beatified as ‘Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.’ A second miracle was credited to her intercession by Pope Francis, in December 2015, facilitating her path to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.”
When I was a boy, my champion was not someone imbued with iconic values. My hero was not even human; he was more comfortable in the garden than in a house. In short, he was a bantam rooster. Now, I do not want to be accused of anthropomorphism, but I believe that he, Charlie by name, did not know he was a chicken. He would strut around my mother’s small park as if he were a general surveying his battalions. In due course, he killed all the other roosters in the flock. What was remarkable about this animal was that he was only 46 centimeters tall. His personality had only one fatal flaw. When he hated someone, he could not be convinced to change his stance. His glance, rather unfortunately, fell upon our rather large black lab, Max. Max was a peaceful hound, but he could be goaded into a response. Charlie was relentless. He would use every opportunity to attack the poor pooch. Finally one fateful day, Charlie overreached and lost: Max snuffed the life out of him. The poor dog couldn’t believe that the “little guy” was actually dead and kept shaking his lifeless body and tossing it into the air. This was the rather ignominious end to my paladin, thus ending my need for hero worship. The great philosopher, writer and intellectual Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) leaves us with a thought: A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.
A small joke: Ken was a good man, but he didn’t like to work. His father was constantly trying to encourage him. One day he decided to undertake the study of music. He needed $ 1,000 to purchase a violin. He asked his father for the money. His father, fearing that he would only waste the money and not spend it on an instrument, went and purchased a violin directly: he then mailed it to him. Ken was greatly disappointed for he had already found one for $ 500.
This week, please remember the heroes in your life.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: Role models are essential in guiding human beings in action and in thought. Our society is increasingly choosing false idols as its models. This tendency will only continue at great danger to our civilization.
Footnotes:
1) Jason
2) Antihero