[This image from http://spnam2012.org/unsung-hero/. Jason Moore of Odessa, Texas won this year's Unsung Hero Award. I've met Jason several times, and he does work hard on behalf of conservative issues. He is, however, no longer "unsung."]
Congratulations, Jason!
January is a pretty ridiculous month for "business travel" in higher education. I fool-heartedly added a trip to the Inauguration into the mix. It got flat-out grueling.
One trip had me "only" staying two nights, when it should have probably been four. Thus, my departing flight left quite early, and the return flight landed in Austin after midnight. When you leave early and park in an off-site lot, you get a newspaper. Recently, I read a Wednesday (23 January) edition of the Austin American Statesman. The Opinion section had the typical drivel about President Obama's Inaugural address, gun control, and other partisan retreads.
Then there was this opinion piece on Lance Armstrong's Oprah interview:
"Talented Mortals Do Not Make Real Heroes."
{NB! Takes you to Savannah. Statesman handling intellectual property like Apple these days.}
Richard Parker threw a fresh voice and idea set into the mix: what really makes a hero these days?
Is Lance Armstrong a hero? Well, one of my relatives stated flatly, "Lance Armstrong is a cheater and a liar." We have a common relative fighting breast cancer right now. Given the opportunity, Lance created Livestrong. When I learned of her diagnosis, that's where I turned for meaningful information. He rides a bike. He gives hope to my sister-in-law and calming information to me.
All we care about is his urine from 7 years ago?
As Parker wrote, "A hero takes real risks to save other people, literally and figuratively. A hero is someone who strives day in and day out to do something meaningful--without public recognition."
It seems as though our "heroes" have become people that don't deserve the monicker. Meanwhile, those that may deserve the title aren't listed in things like…newspapers. In journalism, there are some brave people. Not all of them are in war zones; some are even sports writers. Props to Mike Bianchi, who reminded us that Ray Lewis probably killed a guy while we were admiring him before the Super Bowl.
Special recognition to Joelle Casteix and SNAP, who convinced the Los Angeles District Attorney to insist on the release of documents clearly showing the role of Cardinal Roger Mahony in the grueling child sex abuse scandal. Bigger accolades should go to the victims (many are members of SNAP) that refused to back down, despite implicit and explicit threats to their very souls.
But heroes don't always end up in the middle of some big issue that makes news. Most of life's heroes are those teachers that try harder than they have to, mothers (single and married) that raise difficult children, cancer victims' support persons, the anonymous donor, the person who watches out for you when you don't (or didn't) realize it.
As Jerry Colonna put it,
I think the work is not getting people to romanticize our heroes but to see the incredible in the simple act of getting along, of growing up, of becoming more and more wholly, utterly, ourselves. When Siddhartha woke up and became the Buddha…he awoke to the utterly breath-taking beauty of the everyday person facing the truth of the pain and fear of life; facing that truth and choosing to move ahead, regardless.*The problem is that most real heroes never receive public recognition.
*The challenge then, is to find your heroes…and provide them personal recognition.
Here are three ways to do that:
1. Send $5 to the charity of your choice in the name of a personal hero. Keep it small, allowing you to do it relatively often. You can determine who gets the tax break on your own. Try to find those that help unsung heroes. Here are some good ones:
- New Beginnings Mentoring Ministry: http://www.newbeginningsmm.org/
- The Yellow Ribbon Fund: http://www.yellowribbonfund.com/
- Wikipedia: https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:FundraiserLandingPage&country=US&uselang=en&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_source=donate&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org
2. Send an e-card. If it's worded right (or just CLOSE), you needn't add 500 words. Here are three options:
- One that advertises a charity in the process:http://www.bluemountain.com/ecards/volunteering/pn/true-hero/card-3173856
- PG-13: http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi0yNzA2NDZkNGM4M2M4ZjZl
- One that helps a charity in the process ("Hope sees a star" is a great choice.): http://hungersite.com/clickToGive/ths/ecardcategories
3. Tell them. In person, in writing, with an email, with a text message. Doesn't matter. Here's a goal: keep it under 140 characters, if you write it. That makes it Twitter-friendly. Hopefully, your kind words go viral.
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Yesterday, I was cleaning out of sheer frustration…looking for something I NEEDED. I had to clear out all this "memorabilia" of a life not worth documenting. I came across a card from over a decade ago…
Kind words are a gift that keep giving and keep people going, sometimes long after they are spoken or delivered. Never forget the transformational power of kindness. It's rarity is what keeps it valuable.
Don't put off the chance to do something so powerful (and so simple). Do it now. Choose "quick kindness."
Pick a link.
Open an email on your laptop.
Pull up Twitter on your Android.
Now.
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