A Hero Lies in You

Being a hero…

The other day I was driving home and I started thinking about the JCs from camp. I was thinking about how I wanted to pay them for what they did at camp, as a small token of my appreciation. I was thinking about how they all paid for their own plane tickets, they bought their JC gifts, they paid for a hotel, they paid for many camp supplies, they took time away from their jobs (for some, it was their only “vacation time”), they left their families and friends, and they did it all for you. Sure, they all walked away with something, but they really did it for each and every delegate at Tahoe. As I sat in awe of all of them, I thought, “These guys are heroes.”

I thought more about the whole idea of being a hero and what it meant, and I wanted to challenge each of you be a hero. Many of you already are—you mentor an underprivileged elementary-aged kid, you volunteer each Saturday at a soup kitchen, or you help support your family by working—and the rest of you are destined to be. If you think about it, all great heroes did one thing: they made their life about someone or something other than themselves and they gave themselves to the others or to a cause. Superman, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda)—they all gave their lives to something larger than themselves and they made a sacrifice (sometimes a huge one) to be a hero.

Here is what I think “being a hero” means for you all and for me. I think it is up to each of us to start or join a cause that we care deeply about. I know everyone is so very busy with sports, STUCO, family, college decisions, etc. but I promise you that nothing will be as rewarding as finding a way to be a hero in this life. You could volunteer at a children’s hospital, begin a neighborhood clean-up project, read to senior citizens, or save money to send to a third world country. Whatever you choose to do may be behind the scenes, but is there anything more hero-esque than doing something altruistically, without receiving praise?

My last thought on this is maybe the most important: As leaders of your school and student council’s, you have the ability to inspire and encourage your classmates to be heroes alike. With your influential positions, you could:

• start a new tradition of taking Thanksgiving dinners to underprivileged families;
• challenge your administration to allow for a free day off of school for anyone in the student body who volunteers 15 or more documented hours in a quarter;
• get your student council to build a Habitat for Humanity home;
• petition your school board to recycle more and use energy efficient lighting/motion-sensor light; buy lunch for anyone who walks, rides a bike, or carpools to school;
• host a babysitting night for single moms in the area and buy them two tickets to a movie;
• partner with the local Special Olympics organization to help with an event;
• you could have your STUCO partner up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to educate your school about the dangers of drinking;
• you could take on any problem in the world with the help of your student councils and your student body.

Classmates, principals, parents, and maybe even the school board might fight you and your ideas, be prepared. But you have to stand strong and remember that Superman did not bow down to Lex Luther, Gandhi did not bow down to the British, Rosa Parks did not bow down to the bus driver, and Paul Rusesabagina did not bow down to the murderous Hutu militia. It wasn’t about them, it was about who they served; likewise, its not just about you, its about who you serve…who are you a hero to.

Think about who you want to be a hero to, whether through your own actions or the actions that you, as leaders, inspire in others. I know many of you already have service projects with your councils, but think about how your councils and your student body could do more. Try to involve more people and spread the spirit of service throughout your communities.

In some way, this little challenge could be the beginning of discovering your problem to adopt in this world…

**If you have a cool story you'd like to share about being a hero (either about you or someone you know), just click on COMMENTS below and share away!**