The People who rise out of Conflict

Batman helped the police catch a crook, but Batman wasn’t the only hero. The police helped put on the cuffs and sent the crook to jail. Often times, everyday heroes are overlooked like a plane in the sky. In life, you don’t have to win a Nobel Peace Prize or have superpowers to be a hero. Instead, you can be a servant of God (you don’t have to be a missionary) to stand up, sacrifice, and speak out. Heroes aren’t always public, but they are everyday people who stand up for themselves and others, never give up, and sacrifice their time and energy.

The first criteria of being a hero is standing up for others. An example of someone who stood up is David from the Bible. When all the Israelites, big and small, cowered from Goliath in the battlefield and hid from him in their tents, David decided he would take him on. King Saul offered his sword, shield, and armor, but he only used his sling with a rock that he picked up at a nearby brook. In the end, he defeated Goliath, and sent the Philistines running away with their tails tucked. That’s what happens when you stand up for others. He eventually even became king. Next is Rosa Parks. One day, she decided to go on a bus ride, and she sat on the front row. Then, a white man came, and she was asked to give up her seat. She decided to not give up her seat because she believed this was not right. Therefore, she got arrested….but she started a revolution when black people didn’t ride buses anymore. It's amazing what standing up for others can do: You can help give others the will to stand up, too. Not far from Rosa Parks, is Martin Luther King Jr. He led peaceful protests on the behalf of the black people. He went to jail many times and got his house bombed. Eventually, he made a speech that served as a spark to free blacks from segregation. Though, while on his porch in a motel, tragically, he was shot and killed. Even though he didn't see what he did in the future, he made a great impact on society. My last example for this criteria is my older sister. She stands up for other people who can´t stand up for themselves or those who need more assistance. A little while ago, I was being picked on at tennis by these mean girls who were a lot bigger than me. I told my sister about it, and she went up and talked to them. Well, let's just say they are probably never going to pick on me or anyone else again. That was just one example, but she has spoken up for many other people who she helped give the courage to stand up. We can all say that these people had butterflies in their stomach at first, but they stood firm, and finished their battle. Standing up for other people can, and probably will, lead to conflict with other people. Yet, in the end, it will be worth it.

Another good criteria of being a hero is never giving up. Take Thomas Edison for example. His teacher told him he was too ¨addle brained¨ to learn anything. So he wanted to prove his teacher wrong. Let's just say he did prove his teacher wrong; he invented the lightbulb and won many awards. Now I don't think that's addle brained. That’s what happens when you don't listen to the discouraging voices in your head or of those around you. Another good example is Michael Jordan. He didn't make his high school basketball team... and he locked himself in his room and cried. Yet, he never gave up. He ended up becoming one of the best basketball players ever and even got shoes named after him. When you fail once, you always have to try again. A good example of a business failure is Henry Ford. His first attempt at creating a car empire was a complete failure like one star restaurants. It was until his last venture that Ford, as we know it, became a success.  As you know, there are still Ford cars and his company is very successful to this day. Lastly, is my Aunt Ning. When she was going to quit her corporate and successful job, she decided to go be a missionary in the tiny African country Burundi. Then, while she was in a meeting, she had a massive stroke that would change her life forever. Still, after all of that, she decided to become an author and a servant for God. Yes, she is still recovering to this day, though it happened seven and a half years ago. When you persevere, you have to climb the mountain of your troubles and that is how you succeed. All of these people, despite their troubles, never gave up, and they ended up being very influential to those around them.

My last trait of heroism, but certainly not least, is self sacrifice. Have a look at first responders. They go and save people lives everyday from fires, muggers, and sudden medical issues. They don't care about themselves because all they care about is the people they are about to save. Sometimes it means they could get hurt... or even die. Similar to that is the U.S army. They fight in the Middle East and areas like that for our country and the civilians. Sometimes, they might lose their lives, or get very injured. Yet, they still sacrifice everything like a momma bear protecting her cub when going into battle. Another good example of self sacrifice is Harriet Tubman. When she first freed herself from slavery, she could have stayed up in the north. But, she decided to go back down south and free more slaves, and ignored the risk of being caught. She even worked in the Underground Railroad to make things easier. All of these people are sacrificing or sacrificed for the greater good to help other people instead of themselves.
When you are going through life, you will see that heroes are often overlooked, but they still stand up, never give up, and sacrifice almost everything. When writing this essay, I realized how much heroes are overlooked like the U.S army, among first responders, and even my sister. If you look on the bright side, some heroes are widely acknowledged, like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and my Aunt Ning. Yet, they have one thing in common - they are all heroes. We all have our troubles, but you can choose to make something good of that and be a hero, or make something bad of it and be a villain. Therefore, if I choose to be a hero, I will lead a much happier life and it will be worth it.