At first, I hesitated. It's too easy to get on the backside of a discussion and watch it convert into an argument and personal attacks. But let's give it a shot.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines "hero" as
- a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability;
- one who shows great courage
- the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work
- the central figure in an event, period, or movement
- an object of extreme admiration and devotion; idolOK, so what is a hero to you?
4:27PM What a coincidence that I'd write this article this morning and then receive an email from the Northwest Herald about its "Everyday Hero" contest. They think a hero is a softball coach or a Brownie leader or a volunteer or a helper.
No, a "hero" is a special person as defined above. A hero is the cop who dashes up to a burning car and extricates the driver before he burns to death. Don't allow "hero" to be trivialized.
No comments:
Post a Comment