Heroes

Heroes I feel that the world needs to slow down for a minute and think. With social change in many forms swirling around the world, we live in a wonderful time, where communication is instantaneous, where everyone has an opinion, and where people can express their opinion for everyone to hear. Today, I saw many people who posted or shared on Facebook and other media sites how Caitlyn Jenner isn’t a hero, but rather our soldiers are, and we need to stop treating her with respect. She is undeserving of the title of hero. First and foremost, I am one of the biggest supporters of our men and women in all branches of the military. I come from a family that have served in the military, my best friend/adopted brother is currently serving as a marine for our country, having served in the conflict in Afghanistan. I support all of the men and women that have lived, and died for the freedom that allows me to write this. And nothing that I am about to say is meant to cheapen their sacrifice. They are heroes to me, every last one of them, men and women that risk everything to help protect the rights and liberties that I enjoy every day. I am the first one to thank them for their service. That being said, it saddened me to see that they were being used to push down another hero. Why do I say that Caitlyn Jennings is a hero? Is it because she killed terrorists? Because she served out military? No. I am saying that she is a hero to the transgender community. She has done something for the community that they needed. She gave them a public face. She has helped to give a face and a story to a community in our world that has had little voice. Because of the position in our media that she has, she has not only sacrificed her privacy, but had the courage to do so. She has let the world into her struggle, and put the transgender community in the public view, not for a problem or legal issue that they face, which are many. Rather, she has given the public her story, which is similar to the stories of so many other people in her similar situation. She has opened the door for understanding and awareness, something her community has struggled to get. Regardless of how much she makes, she has sacrificed that. Heroes have always been people willing to sacrifice, people who have shown extraordinary courage. They have stood up for their right, their beliefs, and themselves. Not all heroes have to be soldiers. We would crucify anyone who would post something like that if you switched out Caitlyn Jenner’s picture for say, Rosa Parks, Rosie the Riveter, Barak Obama, Harvey Milk, or any other of dozens of people that have given a voice to their communities. These communities are often bullied, misunderstood, repressed, misrepresented, or scorned. And yet, each of these people, among dozens of others throughout history, has been heroes to their causes. You would never think to say that the girl who donates her hair to make a wig for someone struggling with cancer is undeserving of being called a hero. Nor would you take the title away from other community members that raise food and items for homeless shelters, rescue abused cats and dogs, stand up against bullies, or elect kids with mental handicaps prom queens and kings. They are heroes too, people who made a difference by reaching out, raising them up, and helping those who struggled. By being different, looking past the outward appearance, and having the courage to stand up for what is right, even when it isn’t popular. Even religious figures fall into the same boat. Buddha, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Muhammad, and Martin Luther, are all heroes to good people, who have evoked change in their worlds, sacrificing part, if not all, of their lives to help bring about change. NO, I am not comparing Caitlyn Jenner to Jesus, merely saying that every community has its heroes. Yes, not everyone’s heroes are the same. The beauty of having our own opinions is that they are our own. I feel that we as people have become too quick to shoot down others. Though she may not be a hero to you, she may be a hero to someone else, someone close to you that you love. Do we not need heroes in our world anymore? Do we not applaud people for giving a voice to people who need it? In the last year alone we have seen our country tearing itself apart, trying to give voice to a community that has not had it. Some of these voices have become loud and violent, yet we shoot down others voices when they do it using only words and experience gain from living the way they have. Whether you agree or even know someone who belongs to the transgender community, don’t cheapen a solid step for them in gaining a voice. It getting a step closer to have more understanding of where they come from, the challenges they deal with. It is by listening to these voices that we become the great country that we are. Understanding is the key to living in harmony with one another. We don’t have to agree with peoples choices all the time. Time and people change. I am not here to push an agenda. I am here to say don’t be so quick to put people down before you have a chance to understand them and where they are coming from. Everyone is allowed to have their opinion on what is right and what is wrong. In our world today, we have lost the part about understanding and working together. There seems to be no more tolerance in social issues. Whether it is the transgender, gay marriage, or birth control, every side has come to the point where we demonize the other side. You’re either with us fully or totally against us. No room for compromise, no room for understanding and tolerance. I am not here to say who is right, and who is wrong on the issues. There is no absolute right or wrongs on these issues, no one will ever totally agree. That doesn’t mean we can’t live together in peace, working towards a better way of life. We need to find our way back. We need to show ourselves and the world that we can find harmony in society with each other. We need to stop using absolutes, and hate fuel language. We need to remember that we are all people, and that we need to treat each other as such, Regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, we need to stop hating when we don’t agree. We need to celebrate all of our heroes, those known and unknown. We can be that change. And sometimes that change needs a hero, in whatever form they come in. Here is to my never ending hope for peace. Ian Doherty