Why I am Grateful

There seems to be 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 own lives.

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

We, as a civilization, have tried for thousands of years to encapsulate our thoughts so we might best express how we feel about a certain subject.

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

Stories tend to target particular subject matters as a tool to express their meaning.

Several use a particular person who is elevated to hero status so they might fight dragons and save the damsels in distress. We do this in order to express why we (as a people) should be grateful for those who are here to save us, and maybe even motivate a few to become heroes for a future not so far away.

Other times, we use historical events but add fictional characters to enhance the morality of the situation so it becomes clear that someone must combat the evil enemy. From this, we must “always remember”, even if we have to spice the truth up a bit.

On those rare occasions we actually tell the story as it was, because there really are people that change the world, and we should all 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. Most go unnoticed except by those who felt its ripple, but the impact is just the same.

Lives are changed.

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As a people, we always enjoy the big picture impacts; 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…”

Either way, by creating a big picture memory, it is a connection and a story we all feel compelled to tell.

Recently, I decided to look deeper into the aspect of what it takes to be a hero. Because of this, we have begun a secondary study on influence, and it seemed logical that we start at the top of the hero hierarchy with those who had the biggest impact on humanity itself. 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, but what we found astounded us.

It seems the big impact of a large ripple type of hero – those who impact the most people – actually have the least long term affect for change. While they might momentarily “save civilization” by killing the dragon or ending the war, the people who are impacted have a history of regressing back to their previous routines and begin waiting for another hero to save them once again – selfishly always for themselves, because they know the dragons will return.

Here is the fascinating part, it seems that those heroes who have the tiniest initial impact – the hero’s who make the smallest ripple in the sea of humanity – might actually be the most important. They are the ones who create the longest impression on history and the seeds planted from their actions grow to 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 actually changed the world for the better. Yet there is rarely any fanfare or celebration for their deeds. Most go unnoticed in terms of historical celebrity status other than those in their immediate circle, but when history does take a moment and stumble on their story, that is when it gets interesting.

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As we look at a hero’s past and seek to discover what makes them so special, the natural progression of thought 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.

As we classified each, we had to take a step back in wonder, because that is where we discovered there was more to their story.

What we found was the key that opened a door revealing another and more important aspect to their very being.

Deep inside of them, it was so special, that when discovered it removed their 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 hero’s failed to make the big stage of history’s grandiose pages.

The ones who were the best, who changed individual lives and over generations 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 must have in order to change others and even the world.

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 too are flawed and must one day be forgiven themselves – even for the smallest of actions, so they forgive others as they would want to be forgiven themselves.

This gift gives them the clarity of mind and the strength of heart, to be willing to walk into danger and slay whatever dragon they must 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 journey as those around them. Yet by overcoming their fear of hanging on to a past that will not return, they forgive themselves first, then those who are around them as well.

By understanding forgiveness, they have what it takes to make an impact that will one day save us all.

The greatest hero knows that swimming in the ocean of time is eternal, but just like swimming in a real ocean of water, you don’t need it all, just the water that is around you. They live in the here and now, knowing that is where the impact lies and everyone is the same.

So, that’s where you start and that is where you focus.

Real heroes forgive, first themselves and then all of those 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.

-DB