A Weekend for Heroes

There is a trend going around where people post various reasons for being grateful each day. I think this is a fabulous idea, but I find it curious why so many people focus on themselves, and not those who made the biggest impact on their lives.

When you stop and think about it, words can’t express the true nature of gratefulness. Words can only tell a story. Something we hope others can relate too.

As a civilization, we have tried for thousands of years to encapsulate our thoughts, and express how we feel about certain subjects.

Many have become folklore and fables, while others find themselves etched into the mythological libraries of history.

Great stories target specific subject matters as a tool to express their meaning.

Several have reflected on those who are elevated to hero status, where they fight dragons and save the damsels in distress. These stories and designed to express why we (as a people) should be grateful for those who are here to save us. legends are created to a motivate the next generation of heroes for a future not so far away.

We often use historical events but add fictional characters to enhance the morality of the situation. The story is often the same - someone will be called to step up and combat the evil enemy. From this, we find the inspirational mantra of “always remember”, even if we had to spice up the truth a bit.

On those rare occasions we tell the story as it was, we tell the truth. We do this because there really are people who have changed the world, and we should be grateful for the opportunities and the impact they create.

Some of these “truths” impact the entire world, but most of the time it is a small pebble landing in an even smaller sea of humanity. Many go unnoticed except by those who felt its ripple, but the impact is the same.

Lives are changed.

____ ____ ____ ____

As a people, we enjoy the "big picture impact" stories; it draws us closer and makes us feel part of something greater than ourselves. Sometimes it is the feeling of saying “I was there when…”, or better yet, “I knew someone who…”

By creating a “big picture” memory we also create a connection that supports a story we feel compelled tell.

Recently, I decided to look deeper into the aspect of what it takes to be a hero and have begun a secondary study on influence. It seemed logical to we start at the top of the hero hierarchy, and study those who had the biggest impact on humanity. We felt that the hero who represented the “largest stone to hit the water” – the one that made the biggest ripple – would be the logical place to begin our journey. What we found astounded us.

It seems the ripple effect of those who impact the most people have the least long term affect for change. While these heroes might momentarily “save civilization” by killing the dragon or ending the war, the people who are directly impacted by their actions have a history of regressing back to their previous routines where they begin waiting for another hero to save them once again. They do this selfishly, always for themselves, because they know the dragons will return.

Here is the fascinating part: it seems that the heroes who have the tiniest initial impact – the ones who make the smallest ripple in their current sea of humanity – might be the most important. They are the heroes who actually create the longest impression on history. The seeds planted from their actions tend to grow and make the biggest impact on the greatest number of people.

It was this group, those who affected the most people in the smallest way, who changed the world for the better. Yet at the time the action occurs, there is rarely any fanfare or celebration for their deeds.

Most of these initial "small impact" heroes go unnoticed in terms of historical celebrity status other than those in their immediate circle, but when history does stumble upon their story, that is when it gets interesting.

____ ____ ____ ____

As we look into a hero’s past to discover what makes them so special, the natural progression is to look at the size of their impact and the ripple affect they had on humanity. From those who made the biggest ripples and secured themselves in history’s “Hero’s Hall of Fame”, down to those who accomplished the smallest of actions and fell without notice, each is worthy of study.

As we classified the impact of their actions, we took a step back, and discovered there was always more to their story.

There, we found a more important aspect.

It was so special that when revealed, it removed their mythical armor and exposed what a real hero is all about.

It was not strength or skill.

It was not fearlessness or inherent leadership.

It was better than anyone could have imagined, and best of all, it explained why the smallest of the impact heroes failed to make the big stage of history’s grandiose pages.

The heroes who were the best, those who changed lives and ultimately the world itself, had something that the rest of history chooses to leave behind.

When humanity turns away in fear of failure, these heroes charge ahead and embrace an attribute they alone must have in order to succeed.

Simply put, heroes “forgive”.

As it turns out, a real hero has an acute understanding of time and space, combined with a humility that accepts their own humanity. They realize, above all, that they are flawed, and must one day be forgiven themselves. Even for the smallest of actions, they forgive others as they would want to be forgiven themselves.

This gift gives them clarity of mind and strength of heart.

This gift allows them to walk into danger and slay whatever dragon they must face in order to save us all, even if no one knows they were there.

The smallest of hero’s have the biggest hearts because they understand their journey is the same as those around them. Yet by overcoming fear of their past and knowing it will not return, they forgive themselves and those who are around them as well.

By understanding forgiveness, they have what it takes to make the impact.

By understanding forgiveness, they know one day it will save us all.

The greatest hero knows that swimming in the ocean of time is eternal but like swimming in any body of water, you don’t need the entire ocean, just the water that is around you.

They live in the here and now, knowing everyone is the same.

So, where do you start and where do you focus?

Real heroes forgive; first themselves and then everyone they meet.

Then, they change the world one ripple at a time.

So, what am I grateful for?

Forgiveness, and the Hero who forgave me.

#heros #perfectplan #leadership #easter. #easterstory #herosjourney #donbarden #kulturecity