EDITORIAL - Heroes

What makes a hero? In the classic sense, outstanding courage and selflessness, often manifested in times of war. In this sense, the nation has not lacked for heroes. Today they are honored again – the men and women who risked or lost their lives in the long struggle for independence from colonial rule, and the thousands who died fighting foreign invaders in the last world war.

Defining heroism during peacetime is trickier. Those who resisted the dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos, with Benigno Aquino Jr. being assassinated for it, have earned their place among the nation’s pantheon of heroes. But there is another type of heroism that deserves recognition: the readiness to assist the less fortunate and dedicate oneself to the nation’s service, even if it means forgoing opportunities for glamorous careers or financial security.

Just days before, Robin Lim, who was raised in the Philippines, was honored by Cable News Network as one of several “Heroes of the Year.” Lim, a midwife, was given recognition for opening free birthing clinics in Bali, Indonesia. She follows in the footsteps of Efren Peñaflorida, the teacher from the slums of Metro Manila, who brought education on a pushcart to the impoverished communities where he grew up.

This is the type of heroism that everyone can manifest in varying degrees in day-to-day life. It doesn’t have to be the type of heroism that merits CNN recognition. It doesn’t have to entail impoverishment or giving up the comforts of home to live with the less privileged. Simply being responsible citizens can be heroic enough in our me-first society. The sense of civic duty still needs to be developed in this country, along with the belief that what’s good for the nation as a whole is generally also good for the individual. There is a hero in all of us, and no one should hesitate to unleash it.