“We can’t all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by.”

— Will Rogers

Everyone loves a hero.  Maybe we love them so much because there seem to be so few of them.  When one is discovered and a parade is held, we line the streets and cheer them on.  By acknowledging their heroic deeds and adding our applause, we claim a piece of their heroism as our own, certain that if we were given the chance, we also would be heroes.

Being a hero is more than simply being the strongest, the best, or the triumphant.  We sometimes become confused about this and think that all winning is heroic.  Joseph Campbell defines the hero well when he says:

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

Campbell does not say “has given his or her life for something bigger,” but to something bigger.  The hero is the one who holds the greatest good of all humanity as his or her goal.  The hero places the common good above personal gain or achievement and often shows heroism in very quiet ways.  Recognition is nice, and celebratory parades can be both fun and uplifting, but the true hero celebrates the spirit behind the celebrated deeds and does not become distracted by acclaim.

A soldier who fights a war can be a hero by putting his own life between his comrades and the attackers.  He can also be a hero by stepping out of combat and feeding the children of the war-torn land.  A football player can gain renown and praise by stopping the other team from scoring, but he becomes a hero when he pauses to help his injured opponent to his feet.

Often heroes operate quietly and without recognition.  They give themselves over to a life that is greater than simply being one person looking out for his or her own welfare.  They live larger than life, but from the heart; and their examples encourage others to do the same.  Parade or no parade, the hero’s heart knows the good feeling of growing beyond its boundaries and touching greatness in the smallest of acts.  No parade can make a hero; and most will never receive such acclaim.

Heroes are not any different from you or from me.  We all have the potential to choose the hero’s path.  Look at your own life.  Ask yourself what heroic things you bring to the greatest good of all humanity.  Ask yourself what small acts you might choose today that would let you walk the path of the hero.  Sometimes the hero rides, exalted, on a magnificent float in a grand parade.  Sometimes the hero sits quietly on the curb with heart applauding the way that heroes lift us all to greater things.  Sometimes it is those who clap heroically who encourage greatness in us all.