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We Can All Be Heroes
by Shernaz Wadia

Every year the President of India gives away gallantry awards to children who have shown exceptional bravery in the face of extraordinary circumstances, often at risk to their own lives. These little heroes deserve the accolades, awards and media attention they get. There are such courageous children all around the world yet the rest of us need not feel left out in the shadows.

Life offers each of us our moments of heroism. They seem small and inconsequential but they test our courage and help build our character. This sweet little verse says it very well:

“Some folks smile in the night time,
Some folks smile in the dawn;
But the boy worthwhile
Is the boy who can smile
When his two front teeth are gone!”

It takes courage to smile when everyone else is laughing at you. Then there are other times when you need to be brave. Like when you have failed an examination or lost a game; when you have been wrongly blamed or are made to suffer unnecessary humiliation. Sometimes a friend is rude or has betrayed a secret. At other times a teacher/parent is needlessly harsh and will not understand. These situations can hurt tremendously. One’s natural reaction is to sulk, get angry and find scapegoats to blame. Some unfortunate people allow themselves to sink into despair and bitterness.

These are the trials of everyday life that truly challenge people’s endurance and strength of spirit. With a little understanding, with a little courage we can turn things around and begin to count our blessings which by far outweigh our problems. So through it all we must learn to smile.

Ella Wilcox says it perfectly in this poem:

“Tis easy enough to be pleasant
When life flows on like a song;
But the man worth while is the man who will smile
When everything goes dead wrong;
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years;
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears.”

Such a smile creates a rainbow on the firmament of life. Splash the colors of the rainbow always in your life. Brave hearts teach themselves to rise above their misfortunes. You are all brave from within, so even when tears are pouring down your cheeks, find the heart to smile. With just that little extra effort we can all do it and become heroes.     

January 15, 2006

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