From the Editors February 14, 2011 Issue

Calling all healing heroes

The Editors

According to fiction, heroes can subdue ferocious monsters, obtain healing potions to save lives, and free trapped mortals from evil enchantments. Real-life heroes tend to be somewhat less colorful, but no less powerful in their own way. Persistence, and the ability to make possible the seemingly impossible, mark what one might call a quiet form of heroism. A good example is the work of Greg Mortenson, whose book Three Cups of Tea recounts his efforts to establish schools in some of the remotest parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Courage under fire is another form of heroism, and it was much in evidence on January 8 when accused gunman Jared L. Loughner attacked US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, along with other people around her. It was ably expressed by a woman who grabbed Loughner’s gun cartridges when he was attempting to reload, and by two men who subdued him. 

Moments of heroism such as these express the presence of love, intelligence, wisdom, strength, and goodness. They suggest how each of us can, in our own way, be a hero and turn the world in a more healing direction.  

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