Hope and sacrifice, the legacy of heroes.

In life, there are few things as inspiring as a hero. Whatever your field of interest, there are people in it who excel to such a degree that they become idols. Nothing at all wrong with it. If the field genuinely interests you, then you will search and find people to look up to and emulate. We need heroes to push us to greater effort and raise our expectations. For instance, for years the four minute mile was considered impossible, but once one person broke it the rest of the world suddenly found within itself a whole bunch of others who could do the same. That's the power of a real hero.

Military heroes have a special place in our hearts, because they genuinely place their lives on the line. That's a big reason why we have holidays celebrating them. They aren't the only heroes, of course, there are plenty more--firefighters, police officers, emergency medical services, and the list goes on. We admire anyone willing to sacrifice themselves for others, and place it as one of life's ultimate blessings. Heroism is achievable by anyone, which makes it one of the few prizes we can all strive for no matter our ability or station in life.

The legacy of all this is that we cherish and admire anyone who goes beyond ordinary courage and treads in the rarified air of hero. I bet if the nightly news was only filled with heroic stories, that we would be a much happier place. We need to be inspired, to be pushed to greater efforts, to be reminded not to simply do the minimum but go beyond. Oddly, heroes aren't necessarily role models, since acts of heroism are usually singular moments, but we love to hear the stories and are eager to learn more about the people themselves. I can't imagine life without heroes and the world would be pitiful without them.

- M