Does America Still Have Heroes?
November 10, 2009 • written by Mitchell Cordes
Does America Still Have Heroes?
I believe we do.
Does America still have heroes? I believe that America still has
heroes based on the answers to the following questions. The first is; what
is the definition of a hero? Is a hero what the media says a hero is or is a
hero something else? The second is; what makes someone a hero? Why do people
do things to help others; is there some gene that makes someone a hero or do
they just have a strong sense of duty to help their fellow citizens? The
third question is, why do people look up to heroes? Do we look up to them
because we feel they are something more than we can be or do we look up to
them because we want to be like them deep down inside? These are just a few
of the questions we are going to have to ask ourselves as we decide; does
America still have heroes?
The first question we needed to ask ourselves was; what is the
definition of a hero? The word hero comes from ancient Greek and the literal
meaning of the word is “protector” or “defender.” Is a hero what the media
makes a hero or is he something else? The media’s versions of heroes are
people like Bret Farve, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other promininte figures. The
media also likes to portray soldiers who have died in battle to save their
comrades and nations. I think there are other kinds of heroes next to those
portrayed by the media. Some of the other kinds of heroes are the average
good productive citizens of our society. They slave off to work everyday to
support their kids as well as teach them good moral values even though it is
hard and they keep our countries’ wheels turning everyday. One of the last
examples I would like to give before I digress to the second question is the
people who go to work everyday not knowing if they are going to come home.
These people work hard everyday in the background to keep me safe in my
home. I am of course talking about our ES, services and soldiers. These men
and women only seem to get recognition from the media in times of disaster
or when one or more of them get killed. I believe the definition of a hero
is any good contributing member of society as well as anyone who has fought
for my freedom and my protection.
Now that we have decided what a hero is, we have to examine, what
makes someone a hero? I believe that people become heroes for more than just
fame and glory. I think real heroes don’t even consider themselves heroes
when they perform their duties. These people have a sense of duty,
integrity, and want to help other people. This can best be illustrated in
the Air Force’s core values. These values include, integrity first, service
before self, and excellence in all they do. If all members of society lived
by these values, I believe that we’d live in a much better world and
society.
Last but not least, I think we have my favorite question. Why do
we look up to heroes? I think the reason we look up to these people is that
we feel that they are more than the average person. They are more than we
feel we can ever be. These people go everyday to make our lives as citizens
better and don’t get one ounce of recognition most of the time. That is why
I look up to these people we call heroes.
Based on all the questions and the answers I have found. I have
come to a conclusion. I believe that America still has heroes and that as
long as we continue to remember the sacrifices of the heroes of our nation
we will always have heroes. I would just like to thank the men and women who
have died for me and my country and have kept my freedom and liberties safe.
I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
Loading ...
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!