By that definition, I would consider
the following female singers "divas":
Barbara Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Celine
Dion, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Cher, and most
likely, Madonna. Now there are far more
that belong on that list but I am trying to show the caliber of singers that
occupy that lofty designation. They
represent the best of the best. Nikki
Minaj a diva? No. Miley Cyrus?
No...ever! Maybe Pink...someday. Probably Mariah Carey...soon. And so on.
The point to be made is that we have
begun to throw around words that represent the highest standards of performance
or ideals and applied them to less than exemplary people. That is not to say that some people don't
deserve to be recognized for their value but to apply terms like
"diva" or "hero" to just anyone, diminishes the value of
the term. It's like last place
trophies. If everyone gets a trophy for
participating, what's the value for a first place trophy. Far less, I dare say.
Today, in pathetic attempts to
appear patriotic or socially responsive, people (and in particular news media)
throw the word "hero" around
as though true heroism is commonplace and I assure you it is not. True heroism implies a willingness to
sacrifice one's own life to save others.
To be a hero is to present moral excellence in the face of corruption
and deceit without regard to one's own comfort and security. Yet, today the world is full of heroes. Proclaimed by those who benefit in doing so
or have their own cause elevated because they identify themselves with those
they have proclaimed as such.
Today we proclaim members of our
military as "heroes". Let me
be clear about one thing, I respect and support the men and women of the armed
forces but I cannot support the blanket use of the term "hero"
without lowering the esteem I have for those who have sacrificed their lives to
save others. Members of the armed forces
are paid a wage to do a job and they do it well, without a doubt. But at the end of the day it is still a job
and my concept of hero does not include those who show up for work. The same holds true of police, firemen, and
paramedics. It certainly does not
include medical personnel who are very well paid to save lives. That's their job and we expect them to do it. It that is the case, then a fry cook at a
fast food joint is just as much a hero as a soldier because he too shows up and
does his job. There is no
difference. A soldier can be
killed? So can a fry cook, but if that
lowly fry cook thwarts a robbery attempt and in the process is shot, perhaps
killed. Then, he has become a hero.
To be a hero should not be confused
with duty. Duty is your obligation to do
your job or to live up to your responsibilities. To do your duty is expected. You are not rewarded for it except that you
may earn a wage or achieve some acclaim for being forthright. A soldier is paid to do a job. Doing that job is their duty. If it means being put in harm's way, then it
is their duty to do so. To be a hero
means to go beyond duty. To do that
which most others would not dare do.
I had the privilege of meeting a
Congressional Medal of Honor recipient at a social function a few years
ago. This individual, a medical
helicopter pilot, was responsible for saving the lives of nearly a dozen
soldiers caught in a gunfight in Vietnam.
Without regard to his own safety, he retrieved wounded soldiers from a clearing
while taking hundreds of rounds of bullets in his helicopter. When other helicopters would not risk going
back into the area to get more trapped soldiers, he continued to go back. He retrieved all of them. His helicopter was shot up so bad it could
not make another trip. He took six .50
cal. bullets to his legs, arms and chest while flying. He didn't have to do any of this. In fact, he was ordered to return to base but
he refused to leave those soldiers trapped.
This is a case of extreme heroism.
To call all soldiers heroes diminishes the term that is reserved for
such men as that helicopter pilot.
Duty is an obligation to fulfill a
responsibility or oath. Heroism is to go
"above and beyond the call of duty".
The list of great heroes in history is long and impressive. Great leaders, politicians, activists, and
inventors of all types can claim the title. But
more than the big names in history, it is the unsung heroes of everyday life
that deserve our admiration the most.
The common person who rises to the occasion not out of duty but out of
love and compassion for their fellow man.
The best example I can think of is
Rachael Beckwith who wanted to raise $300 dollars by her ninth birthday to help
bring clean water to people in poor countries.
Tragically she was killed in a car accident in 2011, $80.00 short of her
goal just after turning 9 years old. Her
cause and her death inspired countless others to join the effort to raise money
to provide clean drinking water to poor regions throughout the world. Today, her efforts the organization
charity:water has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and brought clean
drinking water to villages such as that of the Bayaka tribe in the Central
African Republic.
Upon learning that people did not have
clean water to drink, the 9-year-old girl said, "I don’t want a birthday
party, I don’t want gifts, I just want people to have clean water". That is the voice of a true hero. A little girl who touched the lives of those
she did not even know.
