Think About It

The classic TV show “M*A*S*H*” dealt with a lot of topics through their years including heroism. While I didn’t always agree with all the ideals the show’s producers pushed, I remember one episode in which Hawkeye Pierce and Frank Burns were facing a scary situation. They found themselves having to make a choice – do nothing and wait to see what happens or take action (be the hero) and put themselves in danger. Pierce finally makes a speech in which he said that a ninety-nine percent of the time a hero is someone who is tired enough, cold enough and hungry enough not to care what happens to them (Charlie’s G-Rated paraphrase). In essence, often heroes are just people fed up with the current conditions to the point that they are willing to step outside their zone of safety and do something about it. I realize that this is an entertainment show, but there may be something to this type of reasoning. I don’t know about you, but I am growing weary of watching our communities, our co