My New York Hero
Posted by valcristo on April 24, 2009There is a saying that goes, “the problem with common sense is, its not so common,” the same can be said about common curtsey. The word hero varies depending on the person who is using it. Hero is a personal word and the definition changes between each person. Superman can be a hero to people, a parent can be a hero to someone, etc. However in my opinion, its not necessary to stop a speeding bullet to be considered a hero. The smallest of gestures, both documented and undocumented, come into my definition of a Hero. New York City is filled with people who are willing to take a moment of their time to help another person.
Both big and small gestures are significant to the person being helped. We see them, the people walking the subways, homeless and otherwise, asking for handouts for whatever reason they may give. Granted there will be people naturally looking the other way, however there are still those people reaching for their pocket, giving a dollar or what change they have on them to spare. People race to subways and busses to ensure they have a seat and the moment they see an elderly or injured person hobbling onto the bus to see they’re just too late. Once again there are people who will ignore their pain for whatever reason they may have but there are others who are quick to get up and offer their seats so that one other person can be comfortable. I feel I’ve seen these gestures more from people in New York than I have to any other country I’ve visited. There are even people who have put their lives on the live to save others from harm. One such account of this is from New Yorker Wesley Autrey. Literally putting himself on the train track with a man having a seizure as a train pulls in over them. Another account includes Chad Lindsey, a man who jumped down onto a subway track to save an injured man. With a train coming into the station, he got the man and himself out, with plenty of time to spare.
Heroic acts that can get a person’s name put into newspapers or put a smile on someone else’s face. These gestures, big and small, help someone else. That’s my definition of a hero, a person willing to go out of their way to help someone else, out of the kindness of their heart. I’ve seen people generously giving money to the poor, or to street performers. The selfless people of New York who are willing to give that moment of their time rarely have the mentality of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.” Common sense may be lacking sometimes, however common curtsey still exists in places of New York.
Common courtesy is something that I believe comes naturally, but can be lost as easily as it comes. The more and more we refuse to help out someone, our common courtesy diminishes little by little. But if we are willing to lend a helping hand and do so often, we are helping ourselves, by strengthening our courtesy, as well as benefiting those who are being helped. The act of Wesley Autrey was inspirational because I don’t believe he thought twice to save the life of the victim.
I really like your take on a heroic action. Instead of choosing just one New York hero, you showed how most New Yorkers are hero. I liked how you explained it from a small gesture to bigger ones. Nice work!