Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

I watched the Oprah Winfrey interview with Lance Armstrong recently, and said to myself, "Where have all the heroes gone?" Here's a man who made millions, inspired people of all ages for years, who turns out to be a fraud. I wasn't shocked by his admissions, because the allegations had been floating around for years, but was disappointed in his lack of remorse and especially the fact that the acts he committed had ruined the careers and lives of many innocent athletes. We've had many hero athletes fall from grace in recent years. Just think about the fact that Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens lost their bid for admission to the Hall of Fame because of doping. Olympic atheletes, Hollywood stars and politicians whom people look up to, have all been found to be less than stellar. Back in the day, kids looked up to star on TV, like The Lone Ranger or Superman. We didn't know anything about their personal lives, but they were heroes to millions of kids. Today, every aspect of one's personal life is scrutinized, and kids have fewer and fewer heroes.. The list of people that fell from grace is long: Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Barry Bonds, Profumo, Plaxico Buress, Carl Edwards, Kobe Bryant and Michael Vick. Real heroes are not movie stars or famous athletes. They are everyday people who do heroic things everyday. It may be a grandma who takes in her grandchildren because the parents can no longer care for them and raises them to be fine upstanding citizens. It may be a single mom living in the projects, working two or three jobs, to get her son educated so he can become a doctor. It might be parents with a talented ice skater, who sacrifice their time to take their child to practice every day for years. Or it might be woman who gives back to her community by feeding the homeless. Everyday there are military heroes who serve and protect our nation. Heroes are all around us. We all know them. They don't have to be famous. When celebrities fall, people are always so shocked. Why? They're just people, subject to the same frailties as everyone else. Look around your community for the real heroes of the world. Their names are known by only a few, but their deeds make them heroes in the eyes of many. Who are your heroes? Who are the real heroes of the world? Heroes should be idolized for their heroic deeds, not their prowess on the golf course, their ability to hit a baseball, or their role in the movies as a superhero.