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It's a few days after the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the WTC. I tried to write something about 9/11 that day but found I was inexplicably too emotional. I say inexplicable because I have no personal connection whatsoever to anyone impacted by the horrors of that day. In 2011 I only even knew one person who worked in all of NYC.
Over the past few days, the media again often referred to those who died in the Towers as heroes. I disagree. I think being in the wrong place at the wrong time just bad luck, not an act of heroism. The building occupants were, short of someone who could have left but stayed to help someone else, victims who died tragically.
This isn't just semantics. Words have power. A hero demonstrates great courage AND puts others first, even at their own peril. Heroism is a selfless act. A guy who jumps on a subway track to save a child who falls off the platform has, in a split second, put the life of the child above his own. Todd Beamer, and others on United Flight 93 were heroes. They had information that their plane was headed to kill more Americans. And we all know now the courageous action they took to prevent that.
Next week I will run in the Tunnel to Towers 5K in NYC for the second time. This race begins in Brooklyn and runs through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the site of the former World Trade Center. It honors a Brooklyn firefighter, Stephen Siller, who on that day is believed to have died in the South Tower. He had finished his shift in Brooklyn and was headed home as the tragedy was unfolding. His wife was worried for his own safety and pleaded for him not to go, but he simply knew he needed to. He went back to his firehouse, gathered his 60 pounds of gear and drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. When he discovered it closed, he grabbed his gear and ran to the Towers...a distance of just about 5K.
Let's not lower the bar for heroism. I like that real heroes are rare and that they are usually ordinary people. They are not rich athletes or movie stars. They are people who possess deep compassion, kindness, empathy and altruism. Arthur Ashe made this awesome comment on heroism: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." Whew.
By the way, is it any wonder that "hero" is the term New Yorkers use for hoagies/grinders/subs? A hero is so more than a sandwich.
Over the past few days, the media again often referred to those who died in the Towers as heroes. I disagree. I think being in the wrong place at the wrong time just bad luck, not an act of heroism. The building occupants were, short of someone who could have left but stayed to help someone else, victims who died tragically.
This isn't just semantics. Words have power. A hero demonstrates great courage AND puts others first, even at their own peril. Heroism is a selfless act. A guy who jumps on a subway track to save a child who falls off the platform has, in a split second, put the life of the child above his own. Todd Beamer, and others on United Flight 93 were heroes. They had information that their plane was headed to kill more Americans. And we all know now the courageous action they took to prevent that.
Next week I will run in the Tunnel to Towers 5K in NYC for the second time. This race begins in Brooklyn and runs through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the site of the former World Trade Center. It honors a Brooklyn firefighter, Stephen Siller, who on that day is believed to have died in the South Tower. He had finished his shift in Brooklyn and was headed home as the tragedy was unfolding. His wife was worried for his own safety and pleaded for him not to go, but he simply knew he needed to. He went back to his firehouse, gathered his 60 pounds of gear and drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. When he discovered it closed, he grabbed his gear and ran to the Towers...a distance of just about 5K.
Let's not lower the bar for heroism. I like that real heroes are rare and that they are usually ordinary people. They are not rich athletes or movie stars. They are people who possess deep compassion, kindness, empathy and altruism. Arthur Ashe made this awesome comment on heroism: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." Whew.
By the way, is it any wonder that "hero" is the term New Yorkers use for hoagies/grinders/subs? A hero is so more than a sandwich.