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Where Have All The Heroes Gone?
By Kimberle Balsman   
Rated "G" by the Author.
Last edited: Thursday, October 19, 2006
Posted: Thursday, October 19, 2006

In a world where greed, corruption and egocentricity reign supreme, it's disheartening to realize that our once abundant role models have all but disappeared. Or, do we simply need to know where to look to find the heroes among us?

When I was a young girl, my mother often told me that if I ever found myself in trouble I should seek help from a police officer, a teacher or a minister. She told me it was “safe” to ask for help from people in such “honorable” positions. I believed her. Maybe back then it was, indeed, “safe.” Sadly, the world is a very different place now. Police officers don’t always uphold the law and sometimes choose a clandestine life of crime. Teachers who genuinely care about the welfare and future success of their students are the exception rather than the rule. Ministers and priests often abuse their positions of trust and deceive their congregations. The irony and tragedy of the current state of affairs is that entire generations of people have grown up with the same naïve beliefs I did and are not at all prepared to face the world without the benefit of our youthful rose-colored glasses. I still want to believe in the basic goodness of people. Yet, I often find myself wondering, “Where have all the heroes gone?”

Remember when baseball players were our heroes? As children, we collected their stat cards, complete with bubblegum inserts, and idolized them because they were our role models. Today, baseball players and other sports figures are in and out of rehab for drug abuse or in and out of the courtroom for allegations of rape. They no longer play the game because they love it. They play to collect multi-million dollar salaries and revel in the public display of their flamboyant personalities. The on-the-field and off-the-field antics and destructive behavior of some of the sports players today make Pete Rose’s gambling indiscretions seem trivial. How do I teach my young son that cheating is wrong when his favorite baseball player, once beloved by millions for his homerun record, cheated by taking steroids?

My grandmother taught school for 40 years. When she passed away, many of her former students attended her funeral to pay their respects because she had made such a difference in their lives. I met some of them and listened to them speak of her dedication and strict adherence to educational standards and moral principles. In stark contrast, last year our daughter’s math teacher refused to help her understand a particularly troublesome concept citing that it wasn’t his job to explain things to her. Similarly, our son’s 6th grade drama teacher decided that the best way to deal with his chatty behavior was to throw a pen at his face, narrowly missing his eye. Last year, one of his teachers unilaterally decided to rename him to humiliate him in front of his peers and other teachers. When my husband and I questioned the teacher during a parent-teacher conference, he attempted to downplay his actions and even boldly denied some of his behavior.

My parents raised me as a Lutheran. I remember when I first started attending Bible classes. I was very young, perhaps 5 or 6 years old. I was a star pupil and looked forward to Sunday mornings. I remained a dutiful follower throughout my Confirmation classes and passed my final exam (a grueling recitation of scripture and doctrine done in front of my fellow classmates, all of our parents and the entire congregation) with honorable recognition from my pastor. I made the decision to convert to Catholicism before marrying my husband, who was raised in a very strict Catholic family. Although I had some misgivings about the Catholic faith, I approached my new religion with fervor and devotion. I paid particular attention to the methods and practices of my ministers as a young girl and my priests as a young woman. I respected them for their dedication to their beliefs, but I deeply admired them for their commitment to their respective congregations and to the community at large. It never escaped my notice that they spent many hours every week visiting the sick and elderly and offering their services to the community. I remember, on several occasions, having difficulty reaching our priest because he was seldom ever at the Rectory. It was clear to me that these men honored their vows and worked tirelessly to serve the needs of their followers. Conversely, the churches of today are rocked by scandal and tragedy on an almost daily basis. It seems to me, from my personal observations, that too many of our ministers and priests have chosen their professions for all the wrong reasons. Sadly, some choose the priesthood because it provides easy access to unsuspecting children. For others, it seems that the lure of a steady paycheck for a modicum of effort on Sunday mornings is too overwhelming. I happen to know a preacher who spends his days playing golf or working on his junk vehicles instead of tending to the needs of his congregation and the community. Ironically, he and his wife put on quite an air of self-righteous indignation toward others while taking advantage of the trust placed in them by the good people of their congregation. When you first meet this man, he seems to be a decent fellow. By virtue of his position, I wanted to believe he was. However, his actions over time proved otherwise. It’s shameful, really. However, many people fail to notice because it’s become so commonplace. It’s no wonder, then, that I chose to step away from organized religion in favor of a more wholesome spiritual practice.

NBC launched a new series this Fall that chronicles the lives of seemingly ordinary people who have extraordinary powers. Heroes airs on Monday nights. It’s an interesting concept, really. After watching a few episodes, I started thinking about everyday heroes and the impact they have on society, especially since our former heroes seem to have fallen from grace. Of course, the heroes I speak of do not have special powers. Rather, they are simple, ordinary people who have chosen to place the needs of others ahead of their own. Given that we live in an increasingly self-obsessed world, such behavior is worthy of recognition and, in my eyes, truly heroic.

Consider the man who gives up his seat on the subway for an elderly or pregnant woman or the neighbor who drops everything to run across the street and help her new neighbors move in. What about the person who gives up his Thanksgiving holiday to help out in the local soup kitchen or the father who works extra hours so he can attend his son’s golf tournament? How about the firefighters who risk their lives every day to save the lives of others or the child who gives up his lunch money for a friend who is hungry? Perhaps the man who simply holds the door open for a woman with her arms full of groceries or helps to pick up canned goods that have fallen from her bag is a hero. Maybe the teenager who volunteers at the local Humane Society to feed and care for abandoned and abused animals is a hero. These are simple acts of kindness, compassion and selflessness. Yet, they are worthy of our admiration because they are becoming more and more rare.

We live in a fast-paced, every man for himself world where greed, power and social status have become the primary motivational factors for everyday life. Look at the salaries of our CEO’s. Honestly, no one needs or deserves that much money. A person needs only so much money to live on. The rest is purely excessive. The American dream was, at one time, based on hard work and sacrifice. Now, it’s been reduced to nothing more than greed. People are more and more willing to step all over other people to get what they want. We have become impatient, lazy and intolerant. Some people might, understandably, argue that if the majority of the world has given in to narcissism and greed why should they have to be the exception. After all, is it fair to expect more from some than from others? Nevertheless, there are still people out there who value simplicity and who are willing to sacrifice their own comfort and well being to help those in need. These people are the true heroes. They are kind, decent, law-abiding citizens who will likely remain nameless in spite of their extraordinary efforts.

So, the next time you see someone who needs help, offer your assistance. Hold open that door. Volunteer. Share your meager earnings with those less fortunate. In short, be a hero!

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