Jonathan James Hansen
Outdoor Leadership
2/25/13
Heroes: Tom Hornbein
What is a hero?
Growing up I can remember vague definitions of what or who a
hero was: he’s the one who saves the day, beats the bad guy, saves the world
and gets the girl. I grew up watching movies, TV shows and school plays about
people who did just that. To me a hero is much more than that. To me a hero is
someone who does what’s right no matter what, especially if it’s hard. They
also see us for who we really are and what we can become. They build up and
help any and everyone around them even if they don’t deserve it. The Savior has
all of the qualities that a hero needs, but looking to others and learning good
things from them is also an attribute of being a good hero. Something I heard
once off of a TV show once was that a hero is only as good as he is because of
his enemies. And that’s partially true I think. But I think that a hero is
someone who beats the villain in themselves first so he or she can be a better
example or more useful to others.
The heroes in my life are The
Savior Jesus Christ, My parents, my siblings, friends/missionary companions and
(I’m not trying to be a suck up with this last one) my teachers/coaches.
First the Savior: The Savior is my all-time favorite hero
because of what He’s done for not only me but for everyone no matter who they
are. To the Savior everyone deserves a second chance. He Atoned/ suffered for
our sins. He is my hero if only for that reason. He is also my hero because of
the way He knows us: perfectly. The beauty of having the Savior as your hero is
that he never messes up. You can always count on Him to know what He is
supposed to be doing. (I could write novels on how and why else He is my hero
but that will suffice).
My Parents: My parents are
defiantly next in line when it comes to heroes. They've had to deal with me my
whole life always helping me, always having my best interests at heart even if
I don’t know what they are yet. For
example I called my Mom about this offer I got to preview movies for a company
and give them feedback on what I thought they could do better. I wasn't sure if
that’s what I wanted to do. So I called my Mom and talked to her about it and
she said that if I wanted to do that then I shouldn't be scared of the
opportunity. Afterwards I talked to my Dad and he said that if that’s what I
wanted to do he would support me. That’s the kind of feedback that I love
getting from my parents is the kind where they give me advice but allow me to
make the decision on my own. I love doing this because it helps me to be able
to help them become better parents. If I can come to the m with anything then
they take the initiative and try that much harder the next time to give me
better more sound advice.
My siblings: Along with my parents I also consider my
siblings to be heroes. They are personal heroes to me because they love me no
matter what I do or have done. They always give me positive feedback and
direction. I can always count on them to give me good counsel. (Alma 39:10) I
have seven siblings five sisters and two brothers three of my sisters have at
least one child with one on the way my oldest brother has a wife who is
pregnant and I feel that I can come to them with anything.
My friends/Missionary companions:
You can tell a lot about a person by who their friends are and how they treat
them because a) who they hang out with shows a lot about how they spend their
time and b) who they become because of how they spend their time. I consider a
lot of people to be friendly but not my friend. It’s nice but there is a
difference. My companions were defined by my mission president as my mandatory
best friends, and in some cases for me they did become my best friends. I
definitely have some of my Missionary companions to thank for even getting to
this point in my life.
My teachers: Every teacher that I have had or have now are
my heroes because of the fact that they could have picked to do something else
but they chose to give of their time and talents to teaching and perfecting of
others. In fact some of the best rewards of teaching are learning from others.
Some of the best teachers that I've had are the ones that have come up to me
and told me that I had taught them something.
My coaches: Lastly my coaches are
my heroes because they were able to push me to my limits when no else around me
could. They always took the time to help me correct the mistakes I made and to
help me to perfect my talents. At first I didn't like them at all but over time
they came to grow on me. One of them, his name was coach Parris, my track and
cross country coach, is my hero because every coach that I had came and went
after the first season (in high school at least) he chose to come back after he
moved and got another job. He pushed me to my limits to help make new records.
