Heroes One and All
There are as many stories about the origins of Memorial Day as there are different states, counties, ethnicities, races and cultures.
The only thing we thought we knew for sure was that it was once called Decoration Day, celebrated on May 30th and began in 1866 when people honored the country’s hero soldiers who died in the Civil War by placing flowers and flags at their graves.
In actuality, history disproved the year, and traced it back to earlier dates and locations. North and South began their commemorations a couple of years apart. Individual states did as well.
Other countries had their own memorial days as well. In fact some memorialized their fallen warriors centuries before we latched onto it. Whether we were first, last or somewhere else on the totem pole doesn’t matter. The essence and meaning remained the same. It’s the day we honor our heroes.
Over the years the date was standardized to the last Monday, and Decoration Day became Memorial Day to include our fallen heroes from all wars. (After all, as George Carlin so aptly put it, “How is it possible to have a civil war?”)
We still keep to tradition: hold ceremonies, put flowers and flags on graves, have parades and picnics and in our typically American way, celebrate the beginning of the summer season with spectacular sales. It also kicks off the beginning of hotdog season. Did you know that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans consume over 7 billion hotdogs? Amazing!
On a larger level, it sort of begs the question,’ What does it take to be a hero? Heroes are people, just like you and me. You don’t need to die in battle, or even be a soldier to be a hero. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. They’re soldiers, but they’re also in business, in sports, in education, police and fireman, actors, artists, writers – every profession you can imagine. Heroes speak to heart of leadership.
To me, heroes are simply people who overcome their fear of doing something and do it anyway, with all their heart, simply because the consequences of not doing it are too great. For most, the motivation stems from believing in a cause greater than themselves.
So here’s to our heroes, known and unknown, large and small who in their own way changed our lives for the better. And here’s to us, who face our own battles, on a smaller scale and on safer ground, because of their sacrifice.
Live every day to the fullest and enjoy every moment. As Carlin also said, ‘No one who has had “Taps” played for them, has ever been able to hear it.’
Here are just a 16 quotes for you on what it takes to be a hero. I’m sure you’ll see yourself in at least a few of them.
- “If you are not the hero of your own story, then you’re missing the whole point of your humanity.” – Steve Maraboli
- “The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn’t look like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, he’s going to keep digging, he’s going to keep trying to do right and make up for what’s gone before, just because that’s who he is.” – Joss Whedon
- “The real heroes anyway aren’t the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.” – John Green
- “Every society needs heroes. And every society has them. The reason we don’t often see them is because we don’t bother to look.” – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
- “A real hero doesn’t expect to be thanked or even recognized.” – Tom Collins
- “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” – Bob Riley
- “Heroes are never perfect, but they’re brave, they’re authentic, they’re courageous, determined, discreet, and they’ve got grit.” – Wade Davis
- “Heroes represent the best of ourselves, respecting that we are human beings. A hero can be anyone from Gandhi to your classroom teacher, anyone who can show courage when faced with a problem. A hero is someone who is willing to help others in his or her best capacity.” – Ricky Martin
- “Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” – Gerard Way
- “We relish news of our heroes, forgetting that we are extraordinary to somebody too.” – Helen Hayes
- “It is surmounting difficulties that makes heroes.” – Louis Pasteur
- “We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day.” – Brad Meltzer
- “My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.” – Bono
- “Heroes have a rough time because they stand up when they ought not to, they speak when they ought not to; they always have to go that extra mile.” – George Foreman
- “Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” – Bernard Malamud
- “Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer.” – Ronald Reagan