Children adore heroes. Many young people collect various cards that pique their interest. Baseball cards are a favorite, football cards, hockey cards, basketball cards etc.
Yet as our rebbeim used to admonish us - Who cares if someone can hit a ball 450 feet. Why does that make him a hero?
Heroes in my opinion are those who lay their lives on the line for others, who give up their sleep for others and who give up their time for others.
My suggestion would be to create cards of real community champions. Hatzoloh responders, Chaveirim, frum policemen and firemen. HASC and Chai-Lifeline volunteers. The people who join search committees to find missing people. The people who work with estranged youth.
I would like to see these STATS on the back of the cards. Saved 13 people using CPR. Pulled a family of seven out of a raging inferno. Jump-started 93 cars. Biked 170 miles for the kids of Camp Simcha.
These are the true heroes.
Bloggers are the true heroes. Day in and day out and they don't get paid. The anonymous ones don't even get any recognition.
ReplyDeleteYou recognized me. Thanks. :-)
DeleteWhat about people who save souls, such as Rabbonim, Rabbeim, klei kodesh, etc.? Are those involved in spiritual hatzoloh, and spiritual chaveirim not heroes? The criteria needs to be more broad beyond people who have sirens, flashing lights, and lots of PR behind them.
ReplyDeleteCorrect 100%. We already have Rebbe/Rabbonim cards, which is why I didn't mention them.
DeleteAdditionally, children don't see teachers as heroes. They need the Batman/Superman Lights/Sirens...
Will never happen. A Hatzoloh-nik who's out saving lives isn't sitting and learning and with all the fuss in Israel about how Chareidim can't go to the army (by the way, your description fits many Tzahal soldiers) because they must only sit and learn you can't suddenly create a glorification system for Chareidim who actually work.
ReplyDeleteThere are many entrepreneur's among our ranks. I am providing the idea, they can take it and run with it. I don't see what Tzahal has to do with it.
DeleteNone of these are heroes (except maybe the cops and firemen). they are wonderful people, dedicated people, selfless people antithesis-of- narcissist people, but heroes? No. In my book heroism is impossible without personal courage. A midah tovah that our society has not only lost any concept of but, because of the charedi chiloni wars, has come to turn on its ear, declare utterly worthless and demonize.
ReplyDeleteYou are no hero unless you are willing to put limb/ life/ fortune/ prestige and reputation on the line for others. We as a society have grown so cowardly that we are too frightened to even express an honest opinion for fear of ostracization. We value social acceptance and group-think uber alles.
To my thinking the only real living Jewish heroes in any great numbers are current and former IDF members and the few brave souls who put there names to controversial positions. Most of whom happen not to be Torah observant. let's see your frum entrepeneurs market them!
BTW I admit that I am a great sissy and coward. i use a pseudonym and rarely voice my left-of-center views in real life. I have a low pain threshold and get squeamish at the sight of blood.i'm lucky to be a member of a society that still considers me some semblance of a man in spite of all this. Most societies/ cultures would not.
i guess IDF soldiers are heroes if you consider killing Arabs in order to perpetuate a pointless cycle of violence admirable. We can put their kill stats on the back of their cards and give them cute nicknames like Killing Machine Cohen, Murderer Moshe, Uzi-Gun Uzi, and Bomber Berger.
DeleteI suppose they execute Arabs while they are bound and gagged firing squad style with no personal risk to themselves. I further suppose that genocidal Jihadist are completely innocent of perpetuating a pointless cycle of violence.
DeleteI don't find maintaining the State of Israel and protecting the lives of Jews living there pointless. You apparently do. Are you a left-winger or a NK member?
or for the truth.. or for kvod shamayim
ReplyDelete