I saw a newspaper article recently regarding how incredible athletes are regarded as heroes in our society. They’re asked to speak at events, and roads are named after them. Sports are a big part of our culture, I agree, but are they truly these heroes we make them out to be? I disagree; I think that they are champions, not heroes. Perhaps they’ve made a difference in someone’s life, but not as much as a policeman or fireman does.
When is the last time we named a road after a fireman or a policeman? They make differences in our everyday lives. Doctors have saved countless lives that go with little recognition in comparison to sports figures. Policemen try to keep people from needing the doctors, and firemen save lives and property.
So why aren’t they commemorated? I’m sure there are some of them that have done extraordinary things.
Sports are important; they’ve allowed us to accept each other a little better, as people like Jackie Robinson entered the sports and tore down racist laws that separated us. That’s important, and there’s no denying it, but why the almost exclusive focus on sports? Not everyone who’s good at sports tore down some kind of barrier. They’re success is a good story sure, but so are the experiences of a police officer, or a fireman, or a doctor, or rescue workers. I’d love to hear from the Red Cross or the Coast Guard once.
I’m sure they have great stories about finding personal strength to help another. I get the fact this isn’t for publicity, or to be on a cereal box, but isn’t it important to know about? I’d like to congratulate them on doing something so brave.
In the military we come close to this goal by awarding our men who do extraordinary things. Medals of all sorts are awarded, and that’s good, because it shows that people who do good things, brave things, are appreciated.
I think we need to show these people that we appreciate all of the work they go through to help us. If a Red Cross rescuer, or a Coast Guard rescuer, saved me, I’d be very grateful to them. I’d think they deserved the highest honor. Saving a person’s life is a huge deal, because each person is a huge deal.
Even Psychiatrists are a big deal. They pull some people from the darkest depths we could imagine. People who lose hope in their lives. Doesn’t this deserve some recognition sometimes? Shouldn’t we congratulate those who’ve helped over a thousand people?
I guess life isn’t all about medals and being able to speak in front of crowds, but someone should post something, perhaps in the newspaper, about extraordinary citizens, who’ve done good work for their fellow man. Or those who’ve gone out of they’re way to help a fellow man, which are far more recorded than those who make a profession out of it. Which it is good to congratulate these people; but others should be mentioned too from time to time.
I guess what I’m trying to say is the next time they want to rename a street, they ought to look for a civil servant. They’re human, just like us, and they work extra hard to make life easier for us. We may think they inconvenience us, but in reality, we inconvenience ourselves.
Just think, if we could stop hurting each other, there wouldn’t be a need for policemen. If we could be nice to everyone, the need for psychiatrists would go down considerably.
We don’t have to love each other, we just have to be civil. If we could all keep our tempers in check, and just tolerate each other, at least to a point, we’d live in a better place. So the next time you think about stabbing your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, think about the difference you’re making. If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t need the police for anything more than traffic violations.
The next time you think about setting off that firework on your foot, think about how many Independence Days you’re ruining by doing something stupid. If you didn’t blow your foot off, we could probably be trusted to operate fireworks safely.
Most laws are there for our rights and safety, as are the enforcers. So show a little respect and appreciation, because you don’t know when you might need them to help you.
(picture from google)
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