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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead (1901-1978), American Anthropologist. Heroes. Hero: Someone who has made the world a better place. What is a hero or heroine?.
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizenscan change the world;indeed it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead (1901-1978), American Anthropologist Heroes Hero: Someone who has made the world a better place
What is a hero or heroine? • in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, heroes display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.
KIM'S STORY • Kim Phuc and she was the girl on the famous 1972 photograph that brought the world's attention to the horrors of the war in Vietnam. Today she is in her thirties and mother of a baby boy named Huan. She met her husband Bui HuyToan when they were both studying in Cuba. Today they live in Toronto and have become Canadian citizens. Kim has been named recently United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. She also recently had a second child.
If there was one photograph that captured the horrific nature of the Vietnam war, one photograph that tore at our collective conscience, it was the picture of a nine year old girl, running naked down a road, screaming in agony from the jellied gasoline coating her body and burning through skin and muscle down the bone. Her village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was napalmed that day in 1972, and the little girl took a direct hit. It would take many years, and 17 operations to save her life. And when she finally felt well enough to put it behind her, that very photograph would make her a victim, all over again.
The Vietnam War knows many tragedies, some more familiar than others. A photograph of a young girl running naked down a road, her skin on fire with napalm, changed the way the world looked at the Vietnam War, and at all wars. The photograph was transmitted around the world and later won a Pulitzer Prize. The girl in the picture is Kim Phuc.PhanThi Kim Phuc was born and raised in the village of Trang Bang, 30 minutes north of Saigon. During the Vietnam War, the strategic Route 1 that runs through the village became the main supply road from Saigon to Phnom Penh. On June 8, 1972 together with American co-ordinators, the South Vietnamese Airforce dropped napalm bombs on Kim’s village. Nine-year-old Kim fled from a Cao Dai pagoda, where she and her family were hiding. Two of her infant cousins did not survive the attack, and Kim was badly burned. Kim was photographed running down the road, screaming from the third degree burns to her skin. Nick Ut, the Associated Press photographer who was there to cover the siege, took the photograph of young Kim. Moved by her pain, he rushed her to a South Vietnamese hospital. She then spent 14 months recovering in Barsky Hospital, the American hospital in Saigon, where her care was paid for by a private foundation. Ut’s photograph of Kim remains one of the most unforgettable images of the Vietnam War.Kim was not expected to live - the third degree burns covering half her body would require many operations and years of therapy. After two years, however, with the help of doctors who were committed to her care, she was able to return to her village and her family began to rebuild their lives.Invited her to participate at a service in Washington, as part of a Veterans Day observance, Kim was given the opportunity to share her experience and help others heal from the pain of war. While there, she spoke face-to-face with a veteran who coordinated the air strike on her village on that day in 1972, and she forgave him.In light of Kim’s struggle, a foundation has been established to further heal the wounds of war. The Kim Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to funding programs to heal children in war torn areas of the world. Today, Kim is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and tells her story of recovery, forgiveness and courage, inspiring audiences around the globe.
The Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest during World War II.
MANY MANY YEARS AGO, • A MAN WITH A SMALL BUILT, • HUMBLE, KIND AND GENEROUS • AN ABLE LAWYER BY PROFESSION, • THREW AWAY THE COMFORTS OF LIFE; AND • MADE SIMPLE LIVING HIS LIFE’S MOTTO • A WHITE “DHOTI” WAS ALL THAT HE WORE • GREAT BELOVED SON OF INDIA • AND THE PEOPLE CALL HIM “MAHATMA”. • NEVER DID HE REST IN PEACE • DARED THE BRITISH WITH NON-VIOLENCE • HE HELP THE POOR AND THE NEEDY; AND • INSTILLED IN US PRIDE AND SELF RESPECT • BROTHERHOOD WAS HIS SERMON • AND AFFECTION FOR THE MASSES HIS HALLMARK • PASSIONATELY HE STRUGGLED FOR OUR FREEDOM; AND • UNITED US TO BE A PROUD INDIAN NATION.
The Nobel Peace Prize 1964 Martin Luther King Jr.
Heroes are diverse in gender, color and expression of human endeavor: evangelist, explorer, missionary, scientist, preacher, physician, poet, nurse, author, apologist, builder, translator, educator, founder, theologian, inventor....
Panic in the Deep End • I grew up in the 50's in a midwestern suburb. Summers were idyllic, but there was little to do except ride bikes, swing on the swings, or play dolls. Our parents were rather protective and didn't allow us to wander far from home. We were often bored.
When the YMCA opened a facility in our neighborhood, we kids were thrilled. All the families joined. A gym, a trampoline, a swimming pool, and all within an area approved by our parents.
A group of us around the same age, between 10 and 14, were most intrigued with the swimming pool. All of my friends and I signed up for swimming lessons and spent as much time as possible in that pool. We felt very safe there; usually one of our parents was present, often sitting in the lounge chairs nearby, and a lifeguard was always present.
One of my best friends was rather timid and not a particularly good swimmer, but she loved that pool. We stayed in the shallower end for hours daily, often in water up to our necks. We played games, bounced up and down, and horsed around.
One day the pool was more crowded than usual at our end and we edged into deeper water. I was confident at greater depths, having mastered basic swimming, but my friend didn't like even getting her face wet and had never passed the rudimentary course. We kept close to the side, hanging on with one hand as we moved.
Suddenly we were deeper than we intended and my friend panicked. She lost contact with the pool edge and grabbed me around the neck. In an effort to get her face out of the water she pushed me down and away from the edge. I struggled to surface, but she kept pushing me down, unaware that she was close to drowning me.
Throughout this she didn't call for help, which would have brought the lifeguard, and I couldn't get my head above water to shout. It just looked like we were playing around. I was sure we were going to die, within yards of our parents.
Suddenly I felt myself being pulled to the surface by one of the swimmers nearby. He hauled us both up, asking, "Are you two all right?" He then brought us to the pool edge and we crawled out.
I never knew who he was and hadn't the presence of mind to even thank him. After recovering from the traumatic experience, I felt guilty for having allowed my friend and myself to get into such a situation.
She and I never spoke of it, nor did we tell our parents, for fear of losing our pool privileges. No one but the three of us was aware that anything untoward had happened.
I'm not sure that I was aware then of how close we really came to a tragedy, prevented by his intervention. I send a very belated and heartfelt thank you to our mystery man.
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. Tim McIlrath (lead vocals, rhythm guitar),
Elizabeth Taylor Jane Russell
Superheroes http://superhero.pazsaz.com/
