What does the word HERO really means?19:25 Apr 02 2017
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Many still believe that to be a hero, you need powers or skills and you need to be with a special uniform and a cape. A Vigilante. Now I got nothing wrong against vigilantes and such. Sometimes in certain countries things like these are created because the system that was suppose to protect and bring justice to those who deserves unfortunately had failed them on many accounts that they had enough, They had said enough! You can't really blame them now, do you.
For me Heroes can mean many things. Hero can be a vigilante or can be just a normal day to day citizen who goes through so much in life but does not give up. It keeps on going and fights everyday. Do they have doubts? Of course they do. Do they sometimes feel like its futile to continue? Yes. But somehow they keep finding a reason good enough to keep going. To keep fighting. I read biographies and watched documentaries. Also talked with people too. I met people who went through everything, some who did not and others who does not give a time of the day.
For example I met many young ladies who were used and thrown away like nothing. Thrown away from their families and got lucky not to be murdered, cause of Honor. To certain traditional Arabic families, being raped or loose virginity or having an adulterous affair is the biggest shame and taboo. The girl gets murdered. Others who do not get murdered have acid thrown in her face. Others are either thrown out of the house or married by telling the man who will marry her that she was married before and as she could not conceive a child, the husband divorced her. And with shame and fear the girls never say the truth. They do not dare if they want to stay alive. They go through so much already with obedience and abuse if she ever disobeys or dare to refuse the husband wishes. She is already going through a lot. Many of them, are afraid to have a daughter for fear that the child will go through the same fate of being married off, and to someone that is way older than them and inflict trauma and abuse and the mothers have no right to interfere with their marriage. But very few had the courage to run away, to call for divorce and also to protect the children, what are they for you? They are heroes.
I met children who are abused by the parents or uncles, aunts, or parent's friends or in foster homes? Those who do whatever they can to survive and make sure to keep others safe, if not all then few, they too are heroes. Those kids who are abused by the step parents and keep the mouth shut so the rest of the family are safe. Their own safety sacrificed for others.
Those women who had the courage to leave the husband and never went back no matter what. Those women who suffered the abuse and think hard for a better plan to first take the kids out of danger, and then themselves. Some decides to take the kids to church or to orphanage, with a letter to find the children new home as in their real home its not safe for them. Then even if the woman dies, she is still happy cause the children are safe and hidden.
Those parents that are single and raising their own children alone and even if the kids grows up and become difficult, and make their single parents life hard and harsh too, they do not kick them out but try to see what is wrong with them. If a child was born with physical problems, health problems as in mental and physical, I know some parents decided to give them up, either cause of too much burden or expenses or both... others gave them up also for shame in the family, but I also know others who still did their best to raise them and take care of them. A huge devotion and dedication and variety of sacrifices that the parent does not mind, as long as he or she or they can take care of the child.
Mental illness is not a joke either. Having a parent or two who are severely mentally ill, can be dangerous for children environment. Schizophrenia, paranoia schizophrenia, bipolar that is so severe that you need to be put in care in order to be better. And also some gave up their rights to be parents when they understood that they are danger to their children. Custody either can be given up easily or with a fight. Mostly the sanest person wins it, and the parent that is ill, stays away to be healed properly. But not everyone gives up the custody and ends up hurting the children. If not all, maybe one or two kids. But those who does care so much, then when they give up for the better care of their offspring, they are hero. I am not a parent. Never been but it must be hard and difficult for those to have to abandon the parent-ship.
Then there is a situation when you know your own kid is not mentally okay. How many times in the old age, they locked up their own kids, who suffered with disability or mentally ill? Or else had said firmly in their heads or to the others that there is no such thing as crazy or mental insanity in our family. You know there is an elephant in the room and you ignore it, for the family name or cause you fear what you do not understand and want it to go away by sweeping it under the carpet? Or lock them up in mental institution and never take them back.Those people to me are cowards or simply ignorant bigots.
Children or parents need to be taken care of. Mental health or not. Either way do your best. I seen parents putting up with kids who have mental illness, their suicide attempts and physical and verbal abuse from them and yet, with doctors, (psychiatrists, psychologists ) and medication, understanding yet discipline firm, with so much patience can bring a lot of great things. Not in a perfect way for sure but with all that, is what children needs and so anyone else. Those who do these things are heroes. You do not have superpowers in the comic books and movies, you do not have a special uniform, but you got all it takes to be hero. Its the will and patience and understanding. And respect.
Thank you.
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