Self-improvement

"Life is a competition... Not with others, but with ourselves. We should seek each day to live stronger, better, truer lives. Each to master some weakness of yesterday. Each day to repair a mistake; Each day to surpass ourselves."

-Elder David B Haight

What makes someone a hero?

So today's post is about a trend that is becoming more popular and disturbs me to the core.

How many times on TV do we hear someone saying that the mailman, the school teacher, or the crossing guard is a hero? Don't get me wrong, I admire anyone who does their job well, fulfills social obligations, etc. I just don't think we understand what a hero really is anymore.

Websters defines a hero as: a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage.

So why do we confuse responsible people with heroes? I think it's for the same reason that we give every kid on every team a trophy just for showing up. There are even kid's leagues now where there is no score kept and no winner. And we're not talking about 4 year olds. There are just parents who want their children to grow up thinking that there are no losers in life. So in order to erase the negative extreme you have to do away with the positive extreme: real heroes.

Once you do that you have the next group down on top. Good people who do respectable jobs and contribute to society. Suddenly they are called heroes, but they are not. They are doing what every man and women should do. This is what should be expected of every member of society, and that is not heroic. Otherwise we would all be heroes, and then who would clap as we went by?

Heroes are the few who stand up against the many for what they know to be right. The few who face danger, more concerned with what they protect than with their own safety. They are more than role models, more than good examples, they are a step above the rest.

I applaud school teachers, mailmen, garbage men, hair stylists, and all those who contribute to the improvement and progress of society. We are all in need of good examples of consistent, honest, and responsible living. Otherwise we will forget what is most important and replace it with the short lived and empty fun of the here and now. But let's not confuse the street light with the stars. We need heroes. Men and women willing to overcome great obstacle, fear, and hardship to protect and promote the good in life.

Tag thing.

I...John
I am: a Father/ Husband!
I think: my daughter is beautiful.
I know: 17 languages (15 of my own invention)!
I want: an arsenal of guns, ammo, root beer, and gold bars.
I wish: I had a new car or three.
I hate: brain-washed people.
I miss: Chilean street-food.
I fear: nothing.
I feel: when people poke me with sharp sticks.
I hear: voices in my head. Where else would I hear them, my elbow?
I smell: the aroma of amazingly unexplainable bliss.
I crave: medium-rare steak, mashed potatoes, root beer, peas, and garlic bread.
I search: for a good job.
I wonder: whether I should join or not.
I regret: not being a millionaire.
I love: my beautiful daughter and my HOT wife.
I care: about the destiny of my savings account.
I always: sleep with my eyes closed.
I am not: a religious extremist.
I believe: in human stupidity.
I dance: on the freeway when it snows at 3:00 in the morning.
I sing: to Katie and no one else.
I don’t always: pay attention to my own ramblings.
I write: with my hands.
I win: thumb wars.
I lose: sleep over a good night's rest..
I never: eat coconut if I can help it.
I listen: to the same CD in my car month after month.
I can usually be found: if you look hard enough.
I am scared: of nothing didn't you read the one about fear?
I need: gold bars, lots and lots of big heavy shiny gold bars.
I am happy about: My beautiful daughter and my HOT HOT HOT wife.
I have: too much me.
I tag: walls cause I grew up in West Valley.

The Return of the Slacker...

So it's been a while, quite a LONG while since I last posted. I must admit my excuses are varied, some better than others. My dear mother was in the hospital for almost the entire month of September. And I was distracted by The Facebook. I hope to keep posting on a more regular basis.

Happy Fathers Day John Boy!

John you are a great Dad, Katie loves you so much. I love to watch you play with her and see the big smiles she gives you when you get home from work. Thanks for all that you do for us girls, we know we are needy at times and you always make us happy!

Sorry. It took a while for me to get back to reality. I finally was able to take my Glock 22 out and shoot it. I love my gun! My brother-in-law Mitch had his Springfield XD Tactical 45, which I also shot quite a bit. The opportunity to compare the two was very nice and I am even more glad that I chose the Glock 40 caliber. Sorry Mitch. Now I just need to practice and perfect my aim.

My little girl is growing up! I can't believe she's already 6 months old but there it is... She's now sitting up on her own, blabbing all the time, and eating more solid food. She's such a sweet girl and is rarely upset. We love having her in our family and look forward to what's coming.