What is a hero? Is he a strong, brave "superman" who saves many lives with his strength and courage? Yes. But if there were no more, then few of us would ever know a hero. The heroes we grew up with in the movies and comic books and cartoons saved the day by performing feats of physical ability and unmatched bravery when no one else could. But take away their superhuman strength, throw a little kryptonite into their lives and they become just like the rest of us. Just like the rest of us nothings.
No, a hero is usually much simpler than that. A hero is not necessarily someone who does things that no one else can-- a hero is someone who loves when no one else will. A hero makes you smile when everthing seems against you, and there is no reason to smile. A hero doesn't just save lives or "save the day"-- a hero saves the moment. Even if it is just for one person. Even if no one else ever knows about it. You see, in real life, heroes don't run and jump around in tights and flashy underwear, so sometimes it's hard to tell who the real heroes are. Most of us are so self-sufficient and independent that we rarely see a hero, but make no mistake, we all have a hero in our lives somewhere.
Heroes are not perfect. We all have our own form of kryptonite to battle, and most of us are not very heroic most of the time. Heroics demand only one powerfully energizing ideal: love. Love will drive us to deeds that are extraordinary in one way or another. Love is when we forget about ourselves and look around for someone in need. Love looks outward. It's not typical. It's not common. It's stronger than any other force-- hate, fear, mistrust. Love is above the average. It is a rare thing, and that's why heroes are all too rare these days. Because most of us have forgotten that love is stronger even than death, and we choose to live life fueled by greed or pride or some other form of death and ignore love. The heroes are dying.
But they're not dead yet.
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