The Year Of The Hero

It's 2009. The economy is very bad all over the world. Jobs are being lost. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Nonprofits are feeling the burn too as donations are dwindling. Sounds pretty bad, huh? I'm feeling the pinch too since my hours are being cut back at my security job, since the theater I work at is losing some of its funding. But, alas, there is some hope on the horizon. This will be the "year of the hero." One thing to look for are news bits about people who do good things. Such reports will give us all encouragement and hope that there really are good people in this world and some good things going on. Take for example the pilot whose expertise and skill saved the lives of 155 people as he safely landed an airplane in the Hudson River. There will be many more stories of heroes to come in 2009. I can feel it.

Let's look at another American hero. Now I never really discuss my political views. I won't even say if I voted for Barack Obama or not. But I will say this -- he is a hero to many. Who knows how he will be as President of the United States of America. That remains to be seen. But the fact is that he has already lifted many heads. No longer is a person's race a limitation. No longer is a person's economic status a lifelong cross. Barriers have been broken. What is even more fantastic to see is that the festivities surrounding Barack Obama's inauguration fall on the same weekend as the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. What a wonderful way to bring a message full circle! I consider it a very big deal that Barack pays so much homage to Abraham Lincoln, the very president who started the whole freedom movement for minorities. (But you have to admit, though, that Abraham Lincoln WAS a Republican.) I get goosebumps to think that a man who just 143 years ago would have been hung from a tree for disobeying a white man is now the leader of the nation. We have certainly evolved, spiritually, as a people! We must keep in mind, though, that there are those who would rather keep the mindset that existed 143 years ago, and thus we still have problems.

Dr. Wayne Dyer says in his book "The Power Of Intention" that there are just enough spiritually sound people in the world to counteract the negativity being put out by the hateful. So, instead of just seeing the damage being done by people who want to cheat, people who want to attack America, liars who serve in high positions, and even more liars who want to push an agenda, we can turn our attention to the fact that there are also people in the world who are doing much good. I believe that this is why you will hear about such people in news reports in the months to come. We need hope, and we need these people to turn to. The best of these people will not follow a particular ideology, religious belief, political agenda, or fit a particular social norm. They will appeal to ALL people, and the message will be universal. You will know them when you meet them or hear about them because they will touch your heart, and you will feel goosebumps when they speak. And how will you know that they aren't just wolves dressed as lambs? That's where gut instincts come into play. Use them wisely, and LISTEN to them. You do have that ability to be discerning. And you DO have the ability to be somebody's hero.