I’d like to talk about something I call “the diva syndrome.” The Diva Syndrome is basically a need to define everything in its best terms, whether it deserves it or not. what do I want to say with that? The term “diva” actually means “a highly talented female singer.” In Italian, it basically means “a goddess”.
By that definition, I would consider the following female singers “divas”: Barbara Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Cher, and most likely Madonna. Now there are many more that belong on that list, but I’m trying to show the caliber of singers that hold that lofty designation. They represent the best of the best. Nikki Minaj a diva? No. Miley Cyrus? Never! Maybe pink… someday. Probably Mariah Carey…soon. And so.
The point to note is that we have started to throw words that represent the highest standards of performance or ideals and apply them to less than exemplary people. That’s not to say that some people don’t deserve to be recognized for their value, but applying terms like “diva” or “hero” to anyone diminishes the value of the term. It’s like last place trophies. If everyone gets a trophy for participating, what is the value of a first place trophy? Much less, I dare say.
Today, in pathetic attempts to appear patriotic or socially sensitive, people (and in particular the media) throw around the word “hero” as if true heroism is commonplace, and I assure you it is not. True heroism implies the willingness to sacrifice one’s life to save others. To be a hero is to present moral excellence in the face of corruption and deceit without regard for one’s own comfort and safety. However, today the world is full of pseudo-heroes. Proclaimed by those who benefit from it or have raised their own cause because they identify with those who have proclaimed as such.
Today we proclaim the members of our armed forces as “heroes”. Let me be clear on one thing, I respect and support the men and women of the military, but I cannot support the widespread use of the term “hero” without lowering my esteem for those who have sacrificed their lives to save others. Members of the military are paid a salary to do a job and they do it well, to be sure. But at the end of the day it’s still a job and my concept of a hero doesn’t include those who show up for work. The same goes for police, firefighters, and paramedics. It certainly doesn’t include medical personnel who are highly paid to save lives. That is their job and we expect them to do it. If that’s the case, then a fast food cook is both a hero and a soldier because he too shows up and does his job. There’s no difference. Can you kill a soldier? He too can cook a fry, but if that lowly cook foils a robbery attempt and gets shot in the process, maybe killed. So, he has become a hero.
Being a hero should not be confused with duty. Duty is your obligation to do his job or fulfill his responsibilities. To do your duty is expected. He is not rewarded for it, except that he may earn a salary or achieve some acclaim for being outspoken. A soldier is paid to do a job. Doing that job is his duty. If that means putting himself in danger, then it is his duty to do so. Being a hero means going above and beyond the call of duty. To do what most others would not dare to do.
I had the privilege of meeting a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient at a social function a few years ago. This individual, a medical helicopter pilot, was responsible for saving the lives of nearly a dozen soldiers caught in a firefight in Vietnam. Disregarding his own safety, he recovered wounded soldiers from a clearing while receiving hundreds of rounds of bullets in his helicopter. When other helicopters did not risk returning to the area to catch more soldiers, he continued to return. He got them all back. His helicopter took so many hits that he couldn’t make another trip. He took six, 50 cal. bullets in his legs, arms and chest as he flew. He didn’t have to do any of this. In fact, he was ordered to return to base but he refused to trap those soldiers. This is a case of extreme heroism. Calling all soldiers heroes diminishes the term that is reserved for men like that helicopter pilot.
Duty is an obligation to fulfill a responsibility or oath. Heroism is going “beyond the call of duty.” The list of great heroes in history is long and impressive. Great leaders, politicians, activists, and inventors of all kinds can claim the title. But more than the great names of history, it is the unsung heroes of everyday life who most deserve our admiration. The common person who rises to the occasion not out of duty but out of love and compassion for his fellow man.
The best example I can think of is Rachael Beckwith, who wanted to raise $300 before her ninth birthday to help bring clean water to people in poor countries. Tragically, she died in a car accident in 2011, $80.00 short of her goal just after her 9th birthday. Her cause and her death inspired countless people to join the effort to raise money to provide clean water to poor regions around the world. Today, thanks to her efforts, charity: water has raised millions upon millions of dollars and brought clean drinking water to villages like the Bayaka tribe in the Central African Republic.
Hearing that people didn’t have clean water to drink, the 9-year-old girl said, “I don’t want a birthday party, I don’t want presents, I just want people to have clean water.” That is the voice of a true hero. A girl who touched the lives of those she didn’t even know.