Haile Selassie

This author believes, “What is a hero other than an ordinary person who goes beyond his/her limits to achieve the extraordinary?” A hero is anyone who has made a positive impact on someone’s life. He or she has a goal in mind that will help mankind. Even doing something simple yet sweet, such as holding a door open for the elderly, would be qualities of a hero. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia meets all these requirements and is considered a hero by millions of people.

Haile Selassie was born on July 23, 1892 in the Harar Province of Ethiopia. He was born as Tafari Makonnen. Tafari was home-schooled and due to the fact that his father was the right-hand man of Emperor Menelik, Tafari was given the responsibilities of a nobleman as a child. Soon, Tafari’s father became governor, but died and so his son was to take his position. Emperor Menelik thought that a 13 year old boy was not ready to take such a powerful position and enrolled Tafari into the Menelik II School for Nobles. By 1910, Tafari became the governor of the Harar Province of Ethiopia. In 1916 when the former emperor’s daughter became empress, Tafari became heir to the throne. He assumed the title of king in 1928 and began to accomplish some of the greatest deeds in the world.

Abolishing slavery was one of the first things Tafari did to help Ethiopia. When Ethiopian troops lost all hope, Tafari led them into combat with pure faith and inspiration. When The League of Nations wanted to invade Italy, no one forgot about Tafari’s speech denouncing the attack. Tafari helped the poor so much that he was considered the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafarian movement. As an Emperor who was loved by his country, Tafari’s title became his baptism name which was Haile Selassie which meant “Might of the Trinity.”

It is well known that Haile Selassie was fearless, selfless, and a strong leader. He helped his country and their people in their time of need. Never stopping to think about himself, he faced problems fearlessly. Haile Selassie stood up for what was right and put a stop to violence. He was so willing to compromise, that by the time he died he was known as a builder of bridges, not just between rivers, but between cultures.

As you can see, a hero is an ordinary person who goes beyond his limits to achieve the extraordinary. A hero is a simple person who has good goals in mind that will help others. Since he meets this criterion, Haile Selassie is a great hero. He always stood up for what was right and performed countless deeds that helped Ethiopia in many ways. Hopefully, no one will forget the extraordinary achievements of Haile Selassie.