Introduction … What makes a Hero
It is oh so easy in this day & age to succumb to society’s all too prevalent inundations of fear and negativity; all too easy for us to focus on what is broken in our politics, what is wrong with our neighborhoods, or what is seemingly dangerous in our surroundings. It seems that no matter which way we turn, our mass media outlets are overflowing with stories about strangers who are committing acts of greed or violence, politicians who are engaged in corruption or war-mongering, and religious leaders who are dripping in judgmental condemnation while wearing glossy cloaks bedecked with ignorance and hypocrisy. In essence, everywhere we turn it is all too easy to find examples of how we are not to behave – how we are not to conduct our private affairs, how we are not to deal with our everyday challenges, how we are not to treat the others who cross our path.
And that is why I felt this book was important to compile – a compendium of short tributes honoring many of my personal heroes – a tome that serves to remind all its readers of three very important (and all too rarely remembered) facts: 01) that we are members of an innately noble species; that there have always been men & women amongst us who shined a Great Light – who provided a glimpse of the brilliant beacon of courageous selflessness that resides within us all — 02) that it is not necessary for us to do “great things” to be truly Great; that the less famous “everyday heroes” who sacrificed for others in their own “smaller” ways were just as worthy (and indeed, are ultimately just as important) as their more well-known compatriots — and 03) that as such it remains patently true that we can all do exactly the same; we can all become Heroes in our own right, if we but choose to sacrifice our desires and replace them with selfless deeds of Caring; if we but dismiss our fears and replace them with brave acts of Love.
Amen … Let it be so!
Scaughdt
(January 2018)
P.S. As you read along, it will prove helpful to remain mindful of the following:
*A) The Heroes listed herein are not all of the people I find to be heroic – not by a long shot. While it is true that some of our more commonly accepted “moral leaders” (like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela) were left out purposefully (the former for her abandonment of the poor and allegiance with the wicked, and the latter for ultimately advocating violence as a means to peace), other Noble Souls (like Hildegard von Bingen, Mother Meera, Shane Claiborne, Jamila Afghani, Craig Ferguson, etc) have been left out not for lack of merit, but solely because I chose to limit the work to 153 heroes and had already established the pantheon’s current membership before thinking of them.
*B) The Heroes herein are not listed in any particular order (neither by amount of received fame, nor perceived purity of cause, nor noted worth of effort), but rather solely pseudo-alphabetically.
*C) It is even more important to realize that I do not support all of the beliefs, all of the words, all of the actions, or all of the choices these men & women have made over the course of their entire lives – only the beliefs, words, actions, and choices described herein. For example, we are to emulate Gary Yourofsky’s resolute passion in defending the innocent, not the off-putting aggressiveness with which he often does so – we are to champion Jimmy Carter’s moral forthrightness and selfless dignity, not his belief in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God – we are to respect and honor the Dalai Lama’s ability to show compassion towards his enemies, not his decision to deny that compassion to the animals he eats – we are to honor Thich Nhat Hahn’s choice to stand up for peace in a time of war, not his choice to encourage passive meditation over active protest (etc etc etc).
*D) Finally – and most importantly of all, this tome is meant not to be a source of introspection, but a source of inspiration – it is not meant to inspire you to merely read about these men & women, but rather to inspire you to go forth into your own lives and find ways to emulate their Caring, re-enliven their resolve, and re-enact their Kindness.
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