Heroes are those who for their courage and exceptional achievements, are considered ideal and are role models. Usually the word is used to define and is associated to heroic deeds in times of war, but in times of peace heroes also do step forward to inspire people and nations, make countries stir from lethargy in order to move forward. As a matter of fact, no country has ever been without its own hero, to whom it accredited its birth. Unfortunately, while a hero brings about the birth of a nation, it does also help bring about its demise. And this we can attribute largely to the kind of people we consider heroes. Are we really in dearth of heroes? Truth is, we are not. The sad thing is we had for heroes those who are heels for others. We have trouble distinguishing celebrities from heroes. Credit should go to our leaders who, as can be expected, are always quick to ride the tide and extol the supposed exploits of an individual in order to gain some publicity mileage for himself. Every politician wants to identify himself with a popular sports hero rather than a visionary who is ready and willing to offer his life for the country. It is rather tragic that those who offer their lives for the country are consigned to the dustbin of history and are quickly forgotten while we continue to lionize our so called sports heroes. As role models for those who want to excel in their chosen fields, yes, sports heroes can absolutely serve as inspirations, but that should be it. United States and China are sports powerhouses and yes, they lionize their achievers, but they were never ever considered in the league of Washington or Mao. Identifying ourselves with the wrong people has definitely affected the psyche of our youth. While there are still those who are willing to sacrifice for others, they have become rather scarce and what we have are youths who are more interested in internet cafes, and are largely apathetic. When the issue of election cheating came out, the attitude of many youths was indifference. A classmate in the university told me why should I bother when everybody cheats anyway, and I am not referring to a classmate my age but somebody much younger to be my son. Now what we have for heroes are those crooked politicians in their fancy SUVs, corrupt government officials in their palatial homes, and greedy businessmen and their executives with their fat bank accounts. People who threw away everything for the sake of others and of their beliefs are looked with disdain. What is my basis for saying this? Look at the queue of people, not a queue actually but the throng of people elbowing each other to be the annointed candidates of certain moneyed political parties and power players. Are they really going to work for your welfare? Not on your life.
And while everyone has a word about how corrupt government officials are, try opening the doors of BIR, or the Bureau of Customs to prospective applicants and you can be sure almost everyone would want to join said organizations and you can bet your life their motivation is not to serve. I assure you mine is not cynicism because I continue to have faith in our institutions no matter how badly they needed repair. It is just that by looking around, it is not difficult to arrive at the same conclusion.
So what our heroes should be? During the State of the Union Address of a former U. S. President, special mention was made for the person who at great risk to himself, saved an epileptic person from certain death after falling onto the tracks of a subway train. He was a special guest during the occasion and was given a standing ovation as his name was mentioned. Another who deserve special mention was a lady entrepreneur who in just a short period of time made her company a $300M business. They were considered heroes because of the impact of their actions to the lives of other people. So you see, we do not even have to die to become heroes, I was reminded of a supposed NGO worker who declared during a meeting that he would rather be a living coward than a dead hero and I can tell you that the guy is one reason why we do not move forward. Small selfless acts, not gigantic undertakings, are what is required of us. Contrast these with our own. President Arroyo, in one of her own SONA, made special mention of General Palparan who is now being accused by the Melo Commission, through command responsibility, as responsible for the summary executions of the critics of government. She should present instead Mr. Henry Sy, the owner of SM, if indeed we are really in dearth of heroes, who started with only a small shoe shop in Sta. Cruz, Manila, or Mr. John Gokongwei, who started as a peddler. So what if they are of Chinese descent? President Bush was beaming with pride when he announced the name of another great American, star NBA player Dikembi Motumbo, who is actually African, who went to the U. S. to study medicine but instead end up with the NBA. Or, she can present a soldier recuperating from wound, or a widow of one who died in defense of our freedoms. These are the people who we should rightfully consider as heroes and should try to emulate, not the so called sports heroes who first and foremost, fought for money and their own glory, or all other sorts of personalities, because theirs are fleeting, while the sacrifices of those who daily got wounded or died in defense of our freedoms and the values that they fought for, are enduring. Theirs, are the foundation of great civilizations.