A nation in search of heroes

In just ten days we have gone from a nation in search of “missing persons” to a nation in search of heroes.

Having said our goodbyes to “Sec Jesse,” Bahinting and Chand, I find myself asking questions that may not be popular but nonetheless relevant. Through the cold eyes of impartiality I can’t help asking: what has happened? How did we go from “search and rescue” to “hero worship”?

I remember that we started out worrying and praying for a man many of us barely knew but needed to because he was a Cabinet member, a high-ranking government official. When all seemed lost, people began to pay homage to Robredo and Bahinting for their publicly known exploits and good deeds. When death could no longer be denied and the sea had released its grip on its latest victims, we sent out wave upon wave of condolences sincerely hoping it would help ease the pain of widows and loved ones.

But somewhere along the way, the tide of public sympathy changed into somber but direct messages about public service, character and borderline hero worship. Suddenly we were no longer talking about what we felt for the widows and orphans of Robredo and Bahinting, but what we felt about politicians and public servants. While a small band of faithful followers praised “Pogi” or “Sec. Jesse” as a hero, the rest of us replayed, reposted and re-tweeted messages on what “civil service” heroism is all about. As if in a final act or emphasis, President Noynoy Aquino called on Filipinos to awaken the hero in all of us.

I can’t help wondering what Jesse Robredo would think of all of this if he miraculously resurrected from the dead. Would he approve of it all, would he be tickled pink and amused by the “show” that his fellow cabinet members put on in his memory, or would he shake his head in disbelief?

Have we been honoring a good man or searching for heroes in the midst of our frustration?

Perhaps the President got it right when he challenged Filipinos to awaken the hero within them. Even in our church, Victory Christian Fellowship, the teaching series is entitled “Ako — Ikaw — Tayo” where we are challenged (from the book of Nehemiah) to take responsibility for what needs to be done, and to take responsibility for the wrongs we and our families have committed at home, in our community or as citizens. It may not seem such a heroic deed not to chew gum and stick it under a chair in church, but it makes a difference for the people who have to remove them and keep things clean.

It may not seem heroic to admit that, yes, I beat the red light or I was speeding, but it speaks highly of us when we are willing to admit that it was our fault and not others’. If you want an act of heroism, don’t bribe a government employee just to satisfy your impatience, admit that if there is corruption in government, it is because there is corruption in our homes when we corrupt children for them to behave, or to make up for failing to keep our promises. If you want to be a hero to your children, try admitting your mistakes or being wrong.

You don’t have to die in order to be a hero; you simply have to deny your selfishness and your fears. Men, you don’t have to be a hero not to piss or urinate in public, but when you set the example and teach other men, they will look up to you like a hero.

Today, I will once again have the privilege of hosting “Bayani Ng Kalsada,” the corporate social responsibility project of Goodyear Philippines. In the last six years, BNK has sought out nominees/drivers who displayed acts of concern, generosity, and compassion for people in need on the road or in their community. I have not heard of drivers leaping from skyscrapers or burning buildings or speeding cars, but we have recognized drivers who acted as ambulance drivers for pregnant women, injured individuals, drivers who in spite of their own poverty returned money, jewelry and vital documents without asking or expecting remuneration.

Their heroism comes in their character of caring for others in spite of the inconvenience, the cost and sometimes the risk.

Because of their selflessness and example, I too was once inspired to “donate” my talent fee to a hit and run victim with a cracked skull. When I announced this, the bosses at Goodyear matched my donation and now that young high school girl is all grown up and able to care for her other sisters.

As my friend and pastor, Robert Hern shared, “You will never change what you tolerate.” Yes we all want change, but it has to start with us. We cannot go about looking for “replacement heroes” or alternates when the situation or the job or the sacrifice requires “YOU” and not others.

Whoever you are, wherever you are and what ever you may be doing, God has placed you there for a purpose. That purpose does not necessarily have to be gigantic or phenomenal in scale, it simply has to be God’s purpose.

Consider for instance how many teachers are considered “heroes,” how many doctors who were simply doing their jobs and saving lives are called “heroes”? How many fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are called “heroes”?

If you try you will: “finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you” (Hero ­— Mariah Carey)