When people think of a hero, they think of a person that risks his or her life to save another person or persons in a big dramatic way. Rarely do they see the ordinary heroes among us, those people whose acts may not be so dramatic, such as getting someone out of a burning building, or stopping a criminal or psychopath from harming some innocent person, but whose unselfish acts help a fellow human being.
I'm talking about the hero who helps his elderly neighbors by shoveling the snow for them. The person who makes sure that young child gets home safe, the person who ---without thinking about themselves-- volunteers in their community to help collect money, food and clothing for the poor, who mentors others so they can learn to stand on their own two feet. The list goes on--you get the idea...
I witnessed such an act of heroism the other day when I was walking in the neighborhood. There we were, waiting for the light to change, nothing out of the ordinary, when this young lady--with headphones on, absolved in her music, not even looking where she was going --or noticing that the traffic light was red --started to cross the street. All of a sudden, the man that was standing next to me, grabs her by the arm--and yanks her back to the sidewalk--just as a car zooms by. Those of us who witnessed this, were amazed...we did not see this car coming--and had it not been for this man, a tragedy might have happened.
We congratulated him on his quick action, and you would have thought that the young lady would have been the first to thank her saviour. But no...she just practically bit his head off, insulting him, and telling him that he had no business touching her. The man just stood there --he couldn't believe that this ungrateful little idiot, was berating him. He just shrugged his shoulder and walked away. Sometimes a real hero does his good deed, not waiting to be recognized for it, but just for the sake of doing good.
