The Power of Human (Part 1)

I'm a big fan of Superheroes -it's no secret. I own DVD after DVD of the action flicks, and I make a point to go see the latest movie that usually looks similar to "_____man".

But why?

Entertainment alone could be an answer, especially since major motion pictures these days seem to cater on the premise of big bang, big buck, forget about the plot. They leave me with "oohs" and "ahhs", but not too much of a "hmmm." Maybe I ask too much, but I'm looking for something more that mere strength and speed. Superman can do many things, but if he knows he won't get hurt, is he really courageous? Hmm...

A short newspaper clipping I read soon after September 11, 2001 has stuck with me, and -at least for me- has helped me form some of my perception of what a hero truly is.

"The age of the hero began on September 11 as Father George Rutler ran to the burning Trade Center towers. As New York's firemen passed the priest on the way to the buildings, they would pause and ask for prayers, for a blessing, for the sacrament of confession. Soon they were lined up to talk to him in rows, like troops before battle, he told me. He took quick confessions, and finally gave general absolution the way you do in a war, for this was a war. When I heard this story it stopped me in my tracks because it told me what I had wondered. They knew. The firemen knew exactly what they were running into, knew the odds, and yet they stood in line, received the sacrament, hoisted the hoses on their backs and charged." -Wall Street Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan

These firemen were heroes, there can be little debate about that. But the most astonishing thing to me is when they decided to be heroes. I would say they came to peace with sacrifice long before planes slammed into buildings and the heat of the moment called for immediate action. When duty calls, there's no time for second guessing while precious moments pass, and this decision, made not during the hellstorm, but during a quiet moment of reflection - signing the firefighter application - taking the oath of enlistment - taking the hippocratic oath - is the moment the true hero emerges.

And let's not lightly dismiss this sentence: "...as Father George Rutler ran to the burning Trade Center towers." Ran to. Ran to.

Sine Metu