Heroes

[Hsiang-Lin]

Those who inspire me express a constant message through their actions, words, and thinking.

Right now, I don't believe in the pureness of a human being. I believe everyone is capable of great good or evil. I'd go so far as to say even Buddha and Jesus were capable of great evil (maybe even greater evil than Hitler was capable of since the depth of their understanding was so great and powerful).

But what distinguishes the men/women that inspire me from those who don't is how they seem to communicate the same message: Seek truth, understanding, compassion, and knowledge. (may have missed some other good qualities, but for brevity's sake... )

And the funny thing is that my family, Buddha, Jesus, etc. happen to be the people who communicate this message to me in some form or another. Of course, there are different levels of consciousness/understanding/etc. and I can safely say my parents are definitely not on the level of Buddha and Jesus'.

I made a strange realization today. I think ultimately, truth cannot be understood by logic. Don't get me wrong, I believe logic is still an extremely potent tool and will help immensely in getting to truth. But I believe truth is something that must in the end felt to be understood.

That is why meditation and all this talking to your higher self thing works. Through these methods, we can feel some spiritual part of ourselves that logic cannot explain. And that feeling, is where our humanity resides.

[Natsu]

Originally Posted by starkey

Natsu, I think you made a good point about Warren Buffet. People have done some pretty evil things for the purpose of making money, so it is good to find someone who can integrate money and humanity. I know it is cheesy to say this, but Oprah changed how I view money. You CAN be rich and still be yourself and you can be kind and generous without being weak.

Didn't know that about Oprah. I'll check her out

Originally Posted by Richful

O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of Aikido, the most non-violent martial art it has been my privelage to practice.

Great Ueshiba! Wanted to found the "martial art of love", how I respect that man. Being a female, naturally weaker than men, short and fragile, I find aikido one of the best inventions ever. I never got to be too good, but I used to mis step a lot, and in learning the falls in aikido, I learned NOT to fall in real life. Even out of the fight, Ueshiba's teachings have changed my life for the better. In a physical sense, but hey, the ability to keep your balance is important, too

Originally Posted by DanielBrenton

Ultimately, shouldn't we change our lives so that we can be our own heroes?

Amen, Daniel. There are everyday life heroes. See this guy:

Amazon.com: No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life: Books: Kyle Maynard

This guy, his parents, who raised him, all the parents of well-raised and behaved handicapped children in the world. Those are heroes, too. Because they make the most of what they have. Are we doing the same? Getting the maximum we can get from our lives?

[Perseus]

Martin Luther King
Mother Theresa
Bruce Lee
Mohamad Ali
Albert Einstine
Isac Newton
Ray Mears - Survival Expert who makes me want to do adventurous stuff
Jimmi Hendrix
Freddie Mercury
Phil Lynnott
John Lennon
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Crazy Horse - Native American
Theobald Wolfe Tone - Irish Republican
Leonardo Da Vinci
Alexander the Great
The guy who discovered fire

[Liara Covert]

Top of the day to you!

For me, heros are like inspirations who remind us we're capable of living a more meaningful life. At different life phases, different individuals leave their mark. We read about them, hear about them. We may meet and know them. Many of the previous postings in this section have mentioned people who have positively influenced my life. Those are examples of well-known ones. I'm naturally drawn to life stories where individuals learn to recognize the benefits of confronting obstacles and overcoming fear. Loving others and experiencing love in return reminds you that you can act as your own hero.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao-Tzu (Chinese Taoist Philosopher)

SOME PEOPLE

Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go...
Some stay for awhile and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware of the delicate winds of hope...
and we discover within every human spirit there are wings yearning to fly.
They help our hearts to see that the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dreams...and we find ourselves unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence of who we are...
and have faith in all that we may become.
Some people awaken us to new and deeper realizations...
for we gain insight from the passing whisper of their wisdom
Throughout our lives we are sent precious souls...
meant to share our journey however brief or lasting their stay
they remind us why we are here.
To learn... to teach... to nurture... to love

Some people come into our lives to cast a steady light
upon our path and guide our every step their shining belief in us
helps us to believe in ourselves.
Some people come into our lives to teach us about love...
The love that rests within ourselves.

Let us reach out to others and feel the bliss of giving
for love is far richer in action that it ever is in words.
Some people come into our lives and they move our souls to sing
and make our spirits dance.

They help us to see that everything on earth
is part of the incredibility of life...
and that it is always there for us to take of its joy.
Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

~by Flavia Weedn~

[esn]

Do you think these great people felt about themselves the way we feel about them ?

What would it be like to be one's own hero ?

Best Wishes,
Eric

[Mark Lapierre]

Richard Feynman

Insatiably curious, he wasn't afraid to ask any question, of any person, regardless of whether the question made him appear stupid or not. He willingly admitted his ignorance and did all he could to remove it. Neils Bohr sought him out because all other physicists were too much in awe of Bohr to challenge any of Bohr's ideas. Feyman didn't let his respect of Bohr prevent him from pointing out Bohr's mistakes. He didn't let other's opinions of himself stop him from doing what he needed to do.

And IMHO he's up there with Einstein and Hawking in terms of genius.

[Matt Langdon]

Originally Posted by esn

Do you think these great people felt about themselves the way we feel about them ?

What would it be like to be one's own hero ?

Best Wishes,
Eric

I've found that heroes generally don't consider themselves heroes. It is a monumental task to view yourself as a hero. It takes you to another plane I think.

[esn]

Matt,

I agree with you. - "heroes generally don't consider themselves heroes".
The idea (and mythos) surrounding the "hero" suggests we are looking outside of ourselves for idolized behavioral models (subrogating our individualness). Aren't heros like mirrors to humainty ?

We die (sometimes in masses), gladly giving our lives for our heros.

Sometimes our heros (Charles Manson) turn out to be bad guys.

There's a lot of untapped potential in the psyche of humankind which I'd like to exploit (on a personal level - for my own personal development <I am not interested in world domination> ).


What do you think ?

[Liara Covert]

To answer esn's question "what would it be like to be our own hero?," I like Matt Langon's reply. Being a hero would mean behaving in admirable ways, not openly seeking recognition, yet earning respect from others nonetheless.

Being our own greatest cheering section would certainly help boost self-esteem, confidence, discipline and other qualities which would help us move ahead in our own lives. Setting positive examples and creating value for others also enables one to feel good about oneself. You'd think a hero would feel a sense of duty or unwritten obligation to help others. Do you feel that?

Stephen Covey reminds me "Everyday Greatness" is defined by admirable qualities in normal people. If you make sacrifices, you make a positive contribution and inspire hope.

[dgorila1]

Seems like alot of people have "heros" that would fall under the category of "idol worship". A movie star, sports player, singer, whatever are not heros in any sense of the word. Someone like them who make truely obscene amounts of money for glamour "jobs" don't even sit on the same level as a true hero. This will piss some people off, but the thousands of citizens that died on 9/11 were not "heros" as hyped by the media. They were victims, and I truely have sympathy for them and their loved ones, but they are not heros. Nor are crime victims. The medical personnel that help them recover and the people that bring the scumbags that committed the crimes to justice are heros!
Hero's are the firemen, police, and EMT's that literally put their lives on the line (and die every day doing it) to help others, save lives, and keep us safe and make less than $35,000/yr doing it. Where is the justice in this......a movie/sports/music star makes millions for a few months "work", while or public safety workers make squat!
The soldiers that are caught in all these needless wars the ruling elite put them in are heros! They too make a paltry sum and make the ultimate sacrifice! They are sent to a hostile, foreign land for 12-18 months straight away from family and friends and then thrust back into the normal world after being in the middle of all the carnage and hell that is war. I have many close friends and coworkers that have come back from Bush's war and I have seen first hand the complete devastation is has taken on their mind, spirit, and body. It breaks my heart to see the profound change the war has had on them, and the severe problems they face in trying to cope and readjust to normal life again. Yes, PTSD is very real and is not being treated for any of our soldiers anywhere near like it should! Tell Bush to send his twins to Iraq to serve the front lines...I guarantee you he would change his tune then!
Heros are the average people that sacrifice to help others have a better life and guide them down the right path when needed (mothers, fathers,grandparents, good samaritans, etc).
The doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals that heal patients are hero's for their caring, compassion, dedication, sacrifice (long hours, high stress, constantly dealing with the sick/dying/dead and the grieving families)!
Sorry but Martin Luther King Jr, Al Sharpton, Jessee Jackson, Ralph Nader, Howard Stern, George Bush, and 99% of all politicians are in no way heros! All they care about is stroking their ego's, achieving as much power as possible, jumping on the latest "injustice" to stay in the limelight, and fattening their pockets with as much money as they can!
Guess this will stir things up, but I and all my associates feel this way.

[dor]

Originally Posted by dgorila1

Sorry but Martin Luther King Jr, Al Sharpton, Jessee Jackson, Ralph Nader, Howard Stern, George Bush, and 99% of all politicians are in no way heros! All they care about is stroking their ego's, achieving as much power as possible, jumping on the latest "injustice" to stay in the limelight, and fattening their pockets with as much money as they can!
Guess this will stir things up, but I and all my associates feel this way.

and much is left to intrepations too..
in one post someone mentioned.....
Gandhi.
Gandhi could be seen as a racial nationalist...everyone in America and the UK idolize Gandhi - how many know many blacks in south africa don't think much of him:

Gandhi branded racist as Johannesburg honours freedom fighter | Arts & Humanities | EducationGuardian.co.uk
Gandhi branded racist as Johannesburg honours freedom fighter
talk about a paradigm shift' eh?

[esn]

I loved "Being There" by Jerzy Kozinski. Chance was an unwitting hero.

Wikipedia states " The way each main character sees Chance says a little about Chance and a lot about themselves."

Perhaps this applies to us all.

Best Wishes,
Eric

[Gary]

Miguel Ruiz

Nelson Mandela

[Matt Langdon]

dgorila brought up idol worship and that's a great point. Most idol worship these days is of the god-like stars of sports and movies. These people show us the physical perfection we long for, but frequently offer nothing to our character needs.

I think labeling all soldiers as heroes is naive. Soldiers have hundreds of different motivations for joining up - some altruistic, some egocentric. There are certainly a lot of soldiers behaving heroically, but still many others that perform heinous acts. The same goes for police. I am all for holding up specific soldiers and service people that have acted heroically, but don't hold them all up.

Heroes also become villains often enough to comment on it. It is often a matter of perspective and each individual choose heroes that mirror themselves. If you truly believe there is a master race, Hitler may well be your hero. If you believe violence is abhorrent, Gandhi may be one of your heroes. The fact remains that heroes are needed by humans to urge them to improve themselves. This knowledge, in turn, can inspire people to act heroically knowing they have an obligation to those around them.

One of the most important questions I ask in my workshop is "Who considers you their hero?" It can be a paradigm shifting question for a lot of people. When you realize someone is watching you and modeling their behaviour after you, there is a strong sense of responsibility that floods over you.

[Hilary]

Personal heroes? My husband , the Dalai Lama, snowdrops...

But I really like the question - what would it be like to be your own hero?

The I Ching often advises that it's 'fruitful to see the great person'. And of course that gets people thinking about who the great person might be. So we start looking for role models, naturally enough. But then that leads to the question: how do you recognise a great person? How can you tell that someone's a hero?

I think the only answer is that you recognise their greatness because, one way or another, it's already part of you. It's fruitful to see great people because they help you to a clearer, more substantial vision of what's possible for you.

[MichaelRGaudet]

As a dad and husband, I strive to be a 'hero' to my daughter and wife. Obviously I have fallen short of this countless times, but that doesn't stop me from trying. Of course I have many personal heroes that have inspired me throughout my life. Chief among these is Leonardo da Vinci. I know that sounds cliche, but hey! Despite ( or perhaps because of ) his mightily flawed character this man is, to me, illustrative of the Universal Man. Brimming over with self-confidence, talent and the ability to express himself, he left a timeless legacy for posterity. Fast forward to the 21st century. I really admire Burt Rutan of Project X fame. You know, the aerospace engineer who has designed, built and flown some of the world's most radical air(space) craft? I love the way he thinks! Talk about 'outside the box!' This guy has re-invented what a box is, never mind what's outside it.

I also admire anybody that has a lot of wealth and influence along with the clarity of mind to see through all the trivialities to reach out to truly help others ( help themselves) in a selfless manner. In this vein, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Oprah eminently quailify as heroes. Anybody who poo-poos these individuals is, in my mind, simply jealous of their outrageous success as people that have picked themselves up from complete obscurity to launch careers that are actually CHANGING the WORLD. They ought to be admired as role models of what we can ALL aspire to be...I truly believe that we ALL have the ability to CHANGE the WORLD through sharing an attitude of wealth and prosperity with as many people as possible.

Finally, closer to home, another hero of mine is my daughter Ilara. She has overcome incredible physical adversity in her life to follow her dream of complete mobility...both in the physical sense ( Ilara was formerly confined to a wheelchair because of deformed hips...long story...but as of last May, she simply ditched her wheelchair and started to work towards mobility, one day at a time. Now, she has somehow mysteriously healed herself to the point where she can walk up to 45 minutes without a rest! She has baffled the surgeons who were encouraging her to have double hip replacement surgery, not to mention everyone else who has witnessed her recuperation.) and in the intellectual sense. Ilara has been determined to graduate from Victoria School of Performing Arts in the International Baclaureate program in Edmonton, Alberta and she is in the process of doing so as we speak!

Three cheers for determination and perseverance!!!

Michael

P.S. This is a very thought-provoking thread and I want to thank all the contributors for the wonderful insights.

[sourceofmiracles]

Originally Posted by Henry

Kevin Rose.

I am ashamed to say that he is one of the first people that popped in my head. The guy amazes me. But the people that have most influenced me along the way. These are people who I idolize, people I have taken the time to have internalized their teachings or who who I greatly, greatly admire:

0) George W. Bush (J/K)
1) My Mom
2) Jesus (religiously first then way beyond religion)
3) Paul Twitchell (all alledged scandal and scientology aside his books introduced me to mysticism)
4) Buddha
5) Ken Wilber
6) Deepak Chopra
7) Fredrick Douglas
8) Wesley Autrey (subway superman)
9) Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rowanda hero)
10) robert kiyosaki (rich dad, poor dad)
11) Some Physicists: Albert Einstein, Hawking, Newton

[Matt Langdon]

I've just started a competition at the Hero Workshop for people to submit profiles of their heroes. I'd love to see more than just the names I'm seeing in this thread and hear about the reasons for each one. The winner gets a $20 Border's card - not much use to people outside of America unfortunately.

[dulaney0330]

Rachel Scott, Columbine martyr, inspires me and I know that her death has changed many people's lives. Her courage, compassion, hope, and love will always inspire me to become a better person and I know that I can make an impact if I live like Rachel did.

[lindeelou]

People like Mother Teresa who spend their entire lives in the thankless service of others. Not someone like the Pope who has someone wait on him hand and foot.
Anyone that helps others while not asking for anything in return.
They are an inspiration to me to do better.

[Freelancer]

The human race is a hero to me.