Heros

A buzz tingles my leg, distracting me from the lecture on laser dynamics I am giving. Mentally cursing I pull the small black annoyance out of my pocket, looking at the glowing screen I see "Where have all the heroes gone?". Ten Koreans look at me anxiously as I stare at the little phone dumbfounded.

Not sure where the heroes have gone, we seem to have killed them with lawyers and forced mediocrity. Fear of lawsuits keep many people from helping others when they can. The continued culling of personal responsibility keeps everyone in the "It's not my problem." warm fuzziness. Bit of a sad state we are falling into.

I remember my grandfather, a simple man. He was not what people would call an educated man, nor was he a rich man. He was born in a small town in Georgia, and with the exception of being drafted into WWII, lived there his whole life. You will never see his name in the history books, but he is who I have always thought of as a hero. He was a truly selfless person, he would give you his last possession if you needed it. He would sacrifice everything without thinking of repayment or any type of personal gain. He cared about people, and made time for them because is who he was. He was a good man, not by trying to be one, but just by being one.

To me that is a hero.