Run Sheet
00/08/26
I may have asked these questions before, but y'know, I hate to admit it, I don't really keep track of my journal, I mean, why would I?
Anyway, here are my questions:
What is a hero?
What is the essence of heroism?
What is bravery?
Who is your hero or heroes?
I ask these questions because I hear a lot about heroism in my work. As a matter of fact I get pretty goddamn sick of hearing people call Firefighters "heroes". There seems to be a trend toward calling anyone who belongs to a Fire Department a "Hero" just because he does this job. I'm also embarassed to admit that it seems to be something that Firefighters are doing more and more as well.
I think that's hooey.
People who fight fires are not heroes. We are well trained and motivated individuals who do a necessary job. We take every possible precaution to guard our own lives while meeting our objectives, namely to protect life, property, and the environment. Occaisionally Firefighter perform heroic acts, but no more often than Police officers, Doctors, and teachers.Think about it, I'd say that as far as saving lives go, Teachers and Doctors save a hell of a lot more lives than Firefighters could ever hope to, they just don't drive cool trucks.
We don't put our lives on the line nearly as much as many believe. Few people know that the priorities that I and every other Fire Training Officer drill mercilessly into our recruits heads are:
1.) Firefighter safety
2.) Public Safety
3.) Protection of property
So, quite simply our first priority is our own safety. We don't put our lives on the line very often for the sake of the public, as a matter of fact our jobs are way safer than miners, loggers, truck drivers, commercial fishers, chemical plant workers and the clerk at the corner convenience store.
I have witnessed hundreds of heroic acts carried out by my fellow Firefighters over the years but that desn't make any of us heroes.
I'll offer my answers to the questions I've posed here, and I'd really appreciate yours.
What is a hero?
A hero is an ordinary person who carries out extraordinary acts. Someone who sees what needs to be done and does it no matter the consequences, but because it is right. Firefighters don't fit into this category because we're not ordinary people, we're people who are highly trained and equipped to do our job. Usually it's nowhere near as dangerous as it looks to the untrained eye.
What is the essence of heroism?
Heroism isn't necessarily placing oneself in harm's way. I once saw a man walk along a sidewalk and see a parking meter that was expired. He stopped, pulled a coin out of his pocket, put it in and kept walking. I saw that act and have tried to emulate it because of its sheer, simple goodness. Was his a heroic act? I think so. His act, simple and selfless, helps the community of man a little bit at a time.
To me the essence of heroism is simply this: Do what you can, when it has to be done to keep the right and the good outweighing the wrong and the bad in the world.
That may be as simple as putting a coin in an expired parking meter or as difficult as deciding that your life is a cheaper price to pay than someone else's.
What is Bravery?
Many people believe that bravery is the lack of fear, or doing something fearlessly. I say that's hogwash. Bravery cannot exist without fear, bravery is carrying out an act regardless of your fear. If it wasn't necessary to overcome the obstacle of fear then the act wasn't brave, either the actor had no idea what he or she was doing, or didn't care. Either it was the act of someone who was ignorant, uninformed or crazy. For some people entering a burning house isn't an act of bravery, and for some people leaving a perfectly normal house is a supreme act of bravery. I enter burning houses often without any fear at all, it's part of my job, its exciting, but its not scary. However I couldn't be made to get on a rollercoaster if I had a gun to my head The thought of it scares me to death. I won't get near a horse voluntarily, they terrify me. Bees on the other hand don't bother me a whit. One of the bravest acts I think I've ever carried out in the fire service has been rescuing horses trapped in excavations, we do it from time to time and I spend hours shaking afterward. Bravery and normalcy are as different as each of us.
Who are my heroes?
I can't point at anyone and say "He's my hero". I can, however, point at a number of heroic acts and see the lesson that each has taught me, I can see how each has changed my life just by witnessing it. Some are as simple as watching a man feed a stranger's parking meter, and some are as complex as placing one's body in the path of death for another stranger.
A lot of what I write involves
to some degree a hero or heroic act. I guess I'm always searching for someone
to point to and say "There, THAT'S my hero" . I guess if I can't
find him or her, then I'll have to make them up.