On Saturday I watched the popular new film, KICK-ASS. I’ll admit I enjoyed the dark humor and even the over-the-top violent nature (hey, sometimes you just want to be entertained). Still, as I watched it, I found myself thinking about the two different types of heroes.
The title character sets up a myspace page and makes his actions public. It’s true that he doesn’t initially seek out fame, but he isn’t hiding from it either, walking around the streets visible to those around him. In contrast, Hit-Girl and Big-Daddy, exist in the shadows. They actively hide, not being known until the villains try to make them known. They aren’t out for any special recognition.
I was thinking a lot about service without recognition on Saturday having spent part of my morning volunteering at the Pat’s Run, a 4.2 mile run held in honor of former Arizona State Sun Devil, Arizona Cardinal, and Army Ranger, Pat Tillman. It’s been a few years since his death and not all are familiar with it. Shortly after 9/11, Tillman passed up a multi-million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals and enlisted as an Army Ranger. His decision was surprising and became even more shocking when he refused all media requests. He communicated with close friends and family, but did not go on ESPN or FOX Sports. He released a simple statement and then served. Sadly, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Still, his example of service remains powerful.
I live right by the AZ Cardinals stadium and have seen the statue erected there. I’ve also walked through Tillman Tunnel at ASU and see the mosaic in his honor. He is quite a symbol of service.
But that isn’t what he set out to be. He didn’t enlist to be a symbol. He enlisted to serve. He saw what happened on 9/11 and he wanted to stop it from happening again.
I look around at the narcisstic society we live in today. We have our facebooks, our i-Reports, our instant messages to the world. I think about my own “fan” page and even this blog and I question my own motives.
I’m not saying we all need to be private people, but I do think we need to examine why we do what we do: is it for the recognition or is it for the service itself? The answer isn’t always easy. There are benefits for being recognized. Tillman, while he didn’t seek out media attention, raised awareness through his service. He undoubtedly inspired more to serve even if he didn’t want to be cast as a hero by the media.
Still, his authenticity shined through and his motives remained pure.
In that sense, he was a true hero.
Can you be a hero today?