Thanks Rob!

I’m sure your brother would say that pharmacist is a hero.

Firefighters running into a burning building - to me - are not heroes. They are doing their job that they are paid to do. I just am not going to make a hero of them doing this because it is trendy to do so. Nor FoxNews’ wanting to make someone so to get more eyeballs from CNN.

If you sign up with the National Guard, and you get money to pay for college, and you get called up and go fight the bad guy…you are getting paid to do it.

Should there a be a level of true heroism that is above and beyond?

I don’t think your Mom’s pharmacist is a hero. I think he absolutely did the right thing AND that your Mom and Dad still use that CVS/Walgreens/Save On still due to his honesty as a businessman. But to me, he’s not a hero.

Your hero discussion, to me, was about personal people. Like I said, I’m not sure I have anything like that. I have people I look up to, and have respect for, but I’m not sure they qualify for a hero.

Another example - I roll my eyes anytime I hear an adult say their parents are their heroes. Really, they went to your games as a kid and supported you and helped you with your homework, and told you to not do drugs. Hmmm - isn’t that good parenting. Sure, pat them on the back, but they really aren’t heroes.

In fact, I’m very much in agreement with you, I think heroes should not be someone that seeks the limelight. I haven’t given it much thought, but my gut tells me if you are seeking some celebrity, you aren’t really being a ‘hero’ for the right reasons.

Again, I believe in good people doing good and right things, but I don’t go overboard. Like I say on my blog. I’m the best daddy I can be, but I know I make mistakes. I try to be better, but I can live with not being ‘Father Knows Best’ all the time. That don’t make me a hero, it makes me a good man.

And I do believe doing the right thing is still in vogue. Its all that NPR has to go on in the world these days, finding people doing the good things out there, and staying under Sean Hannity’s radar.

So there!

Jerry

I hear what you say, but I think you don’t really beleive that. I know your line of work certainly is about spin and let’s you see more than pure motives, but I am sure you think different. The big kind of heroes are there, though perhaps they are so rare that many of us never experience their heroics personally. We just need to think of 5 years ago, or pretty much any disaster.

But I am not sure that heroes need to be newsworthy. “Doing the right thing” is not that common in today’s world - unless it is convenient or beneficial. I can think of countless times in business where otherwise “good” people do not do what is “right.” It is less profitable, it is not popular, or it doesn’t make for good corporate politics. Maybe doing what is “right” when it is not in one’s own self interest is heroic - but in a quiet way.

Any guy who could go from saying they should do away with NPR to say he listens everyday must be able to change his mind on heroes. Besides, I know you aren’t half as cynical as you let on - I read your blog.

Now, if they are off duty and jump into a lake to save a drowning kid (and not the lifeguard…) that might be so to me. I dunno - like I said, I’m not a hero kind of guy. Could have something to do with what I do for a living, eh Kaiser?