While the frigid ocean sent a sneaker wave toward two unsuspecting youth, family meandered on the shore. Joshua, a lanky 9-year old reached out his trembling, cold hands, while swirls of seawater rushed in around him to grab young Caleb. The sneaker waves kept the two stranded, clinging for their lives to the rocks. Joshua didn’t think; he acted and helped save Caleb from a watery grave.
What prompted Joshua to act in this heroic manner?
Martin Treptow was killed on the Western Front while delivering a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. On his body was found a diary and under the flyleaf was a page titled, My Pledge. In it, Treptow had written, “America must win this war. Therefore I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.”
Did the war land entirely and utterly on Treptow’s shoulders? In a personal demonstration of selfless surrender, Martin chose to give up his rights to serve the greater good of society. He took it upon himself to do what he could to stop the atrocities of World War I.
What propels men or women to take upon them such a huge responsibility?
Indeed, we can ask this of everyday heroes who go out of their way to help the neighbors, friends, and family members and get the answer, “I’d die for my friends and family.” What about the people who jump in to save a complete stranger? What about the masses of people transported on the Underground Railroad? Consider the Non-Jewish taking in Jews who were to be collected and disposed of like rats in the subway system?
People take the act of heroic proportions not so much to get noticed, but they have a burning desire to bring peace to humanity. They are in touch with their empathic side and want others to do the same for them. They do this without thinking of the rewards, and they do the deeds to bring hope and healing to those hurting.
If ordinary men and women see the need to step up, and those who serve within the military do the same, where do we stand with service and constraint? If we find ourselves locked into the abyss of selfish endeavors, how do we break free and begin serving as if our life depended on it?
The questions mentioned above lack definitive answers.
The hypothetical reasons people do what they do cannot be traced back to a perfect diagram, stamped and approved by researchers. You’ll not find a textbook explanation you can apply to your life. The acts of heroic behaviors come down to the basics of humanity. Each one, reach one in essence.
In real-time, altruism engenders relationships and courage without personal gain. For instance, the Oxford English Dictionary states, “The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.”
While the choice to do a heroic deed is different than altruism or even compassion, it lends itself to the idea of someone taking charge and putting their life at risk to save that of another.
Philip Zimbardo remarked, “Simply put, then, the key to heroism is a concern for other people in need — a concern to defend a moral cause, knowing there is a personal risk, done without expectation of reward.”
What about those who do brave acts without the fanfare of notice?
The quiet, passive acts remind humanity heroism doesn’t need to lend itself to exploration. For instance, as a Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Hale stood before the firing squad, about to lose his life. He remarks, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country,” stirring in us the silent strength to carry forward under duress without losing our purpose.
Whether you define yourself as a hero or an ordinary person doing a good deed, you’ll feel more confident when you recognize you are not alone in sacrificial gifts of time and energy. We help others in everyday occurrences without fanfare.
I remember standing in a grocery line in Moab, Utah, 27 years ago, deciding between diapers for my child or milk for the two other children in my home. Not realizing the cost and feeling stuck, only having $10.00 to my name, I started to cry. The man behind me paid the remaining $10.00 to help me out. I held my baby in my arms and thanked him profusely.
He had no idea what a blessing that moment was to a woman standing forlorn in a grocery store with a young baby.
Like in a Starbucks line, those who pay it forward might have helped a person who wanted a strong coffee but didn’t have more than a few dollars to spare. Maybe you are someone who sees a person on the street corner, and you give them your last $20.00 as I did back in 2011 on a cold Easter morning because they didn’t have a roof, and you did. It’s little things such as these where we can bring joy to someone’s life without newspaper articles or TV crews interviewing us.
“The opposite of a hero is not a villain; it’s a bystander.” ~Matt Langdon
The next time you decide to do something for another human, think about the gift of time you gave. Consider how blessed they are for your time, money, kindness, and effort. Every act you do without regard for yourself provides longevity of service.
You can be an everyday hero if you, too, take on the idea as Martin Treptow did in his Pledge. Choose to serve as if your life depended on it. The behaviors Treptow, Joshua, and Hale, and many others used to bring life and hope to humanity are within you. All you have to do is tap into them, pull them up, and use your skills to assist others in your daily adventures of life.
—
Previously Published on medium
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock
