Updated: A true hero has passed. Please say goodbye to Shawn Whaley. He was a US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. He passed away on July 31st at the age of 43. He was responsible for the saving of dozens of lives over a 22 year career. Fair winds and following seas Shawn.
I retired from the Coast Guard after 21 wonderful years of flying search and rescue. I would like to say that I have had the distinct honor of working with and knowing on deeply personal levels some true heroes. I am talking about the kind of people that they make movies about. With this comes the knowledge these true heroes are also people prone to the same flaws that everyone is. It is hard to put into words the value of the knowledge and understanding I have received about people, life and love through these relationships.
I would like you to think about doing something for yourself that will make you much more enlightened. This suggestion is not going to make you money, add to your social standing or impress the opposite sex. It will just be deeply satisfying and enlightening.
Here it is: As you move in new circles and meet new people, go out of your way to make a lasting and deep friendship with at least one true hero. This is not an easy task. People say that heroes are everywhere, they are not. There are individuals of courage and honor everywhere that work hard and try to do the right thing for the right reasons. These people are more important to society than the heroes are, but they are not bigger than life like heroes are. These are not crazy people! Getting trapped in a bad situation, being an adrenalin junkie or an idiot is not what makes a hero. You need to find people with a realistic understanding of the great risk or danger they are putting themselves into. They do so because they are absolute in the belief that whatever they are trying to accomplish is much more important than they are. That doesn’t mean that they are not afraid, they are. It doesn’t mean they feel pain less than others, they feel it all. What is does mean is that they push themselves through those barriers by sheer force of will and conviction. They can do this once or a thousand times, it makes no difference, they are a hero.
Find yourself a hero and learn more about yourself.