I’m a Hero, You’re a Hero, Wouldn’t You Like to be a Hero Too?

Outside an Assisted Living facility

My apologies to Dr. Pepper for highjacking their old lingo, but during this so-called crisis we’re enduring, it appears like everybody has suddenly been declared a hero for simply doing their jobs. The jobs they were hired to do.

While we should be appreciative and show gratitude for those workers stocking grocery shelves or cleaning stores and fixtures, truck drivers for delivering our goods, even those hired to deliver pizza we may order or deliver our mail to our mailboxes, is it really heroics?

Four definitions given by Merriam-Webster dictionary are: a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; b: an illustrious warrior; c: a person admired for achievements and noble qualities; d: one who shows great courage.

An Ohio group claims the dictionary definition is “far too stuffy” in their “Tell us about your 'Daily Hero'” effort.

Their idea of a “daily hero?”

”Maybe someone delivered food to your door. Maybe someone called to re-connect with you, to brighten your day and to make sure you're doing OK. Maybe someone just held a door open for you (while maintaining proper social distancing, of course).”

Locally, KOIN 6 asks, “Know someone who is working to help others right now in this time of crisis? Maybe your cousin is a nurse, your sibling is a doctor, your child is a grocery store worker or your loved one is a sanitation services employee” on their Salute page.

It seems everywhere we turn we hear of “hero hours” at stores, a “Hero Fund” for what is now considered “essential workers” as our unemployment rate rises into double digits again, Numerous images have begun appearing on the internet proclaiming, “be a hero, stay home.”

We have endured many crises throughout our history, wars, pandemics, economic depressions, the great Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. These were truly hard times for people where sacrifices had to be made in order to keep the country going.

Just about everybody pitched in, doing what they were able to do without being labeled “heroes” or even expecting to be.

With so many declarations of hero today, it appears to be little more than participation trophies for everybody.

Is this part of the hoped for New World Order or “New Normal” we keep hearing about?

Cry Virus, place restrictions never seen before on the people, while declaring them all heroes to mask or make them feel better as they are being corralled?

We do have real heroes among us and recorded in our history. Washington D.C. and several communities have memorialized them on monuments, memorials and statues.

We see doctors and nurses going above and beyond in critical situations.

Likewise, Police Officers and Firefighters too will be called upon to risk their lives to save others lives.

Our Military is placed in harm’s way to protect our freedoms and way of life with some making the ultimate sacrifice of trading their life for the lives of others.

An actress approaching 40 years of age and letting her hair go gray in “solidarity with front-line workers” is neither brave nor heroic. Its normal aging as well as trying to draw the spotlight upon yourself and make yourself appear relevant.

There’s nothing heroic in government creating bread lines for us to be required to stand in outside of grocery stores, waiting to enter in hopes finding the food we seek on partially empty selves.

It’s very reminiscent of images smuggled out of Eastern Bloc nations under Communist rule.

So why this sudden everybody is a hero scheme? Is it part of the push towards Socialism with their false cry of making everybody equal?

Is it worthwhile to be broke and struggle to feed our families, all for a hollow title of “hero?”

I really can’t answer for you, but it feels uncomfortable to suddenly see such cries of heroics directed at everyday activities during this time.

It does smack of “never let a crisis go to waste.”