What Makes a Hero?

What makes a hero? I remember this personal life story of myself when I was transitioning from middle school to high school. As I look back to those times, I had a complicated relationship with my dad. Specifically, those dark yet foggy times in my life. I remember having no feelings and no emotion. I was numb to everyone else’s pain and my own. I knew I wasn’t right mentally because on the tennis courts where my dad and I played tennis he cried. I never seen him cry in my life and he cried for me. He said he loves me so much that it pains him to see me in a dark mindset. Yet I felt nothing. I knew that moment that maybe I should change. That maybe training myself to be numb to the world did more to hurt me than help me. I was born an empath. I could sense other people’s feelings at a young age until I stopped being my intuitive self-due to society pressures and my own pain it caused me focusing on others feelings to help them that I neglected my own. Sometimes I ponder and want that emotionless me back for me to survive more in this world. Because I have been hurt, like most, and it would just be easier to not feel anything and keep moving on.

Then today I remembered where would society be without their emotions? Without their passion and drive to push that much harder to reach their own potential through the hard times. How do we get heroes without them rising from the pain they fell into? They hit rock bottom knowing they can only go up from there instead of choosing to stay. That’s what makes heroes. They are vulnerable and not protected. They don’t become hero’s by protecting and isolating themselves through life. They are not emotionless creatures. They allow themselves to be vulnerable so they can learn to rise stronger. They believe in themselves and let the love of their family to keep them going.

That’s is why I want to take the time to honor those who have served in the military. Those who are willing to protect their own lives for their family and for this great country of ours that still does need improving. With your help to protect us American’s we have time to make this country better. Here I also want to honor my grandparents for their service in the Vietnam war. Thank you for those who have survived and stayed strong for their family and their country. To the true heroes I thank you.