Heroes

The main job of an industrial engineer is to look at the way a company is doing a particular job and change it so that waste is reduced and the income of the company rises. One mistake that many new industrial engineers make is going into a company, and instead of focusing on one area of interest, they try to fix the entire organization. They try to be the hero.

But is there anything wrong with being the hero? We all love heroes, don’t we?Since the days of our childhood, we’ve been enthralled with Spiderman’s antics and Superman’s strength. We all grew up with the idea that, one day, we could model ourselves after our favorite hero and save the world from evil. And as we grew up, we began to move away from the superheroes of our youth and embrace real-life heroes, be it some close to us, like a parent or a teacher or a well-know freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. We believe that if we grow up to be the best that we can be, we can do all the wonderful and amazing things that our minds can imagine. And many of us do continue to model ourselves after these people, and we go on to lead wonderful lives because of their example. So what is wrong with being a hero?

The fatal flaw is the part we do not see. The pain the hero endures. The constant threat that he’s always under, knowing that at any time, and at any moment he could be killed or otherwise destroyed for what he fights for or what he believes. We all want to be Superman on a pedestal, flying high above Metropolis, but we don’t want to the kryptonite dagger in the stomach that he had to go through to get there. We all want to be Nelson Mandela, renowned for ending the apartheid regime. But we don’t want to spend 27 years in prison not knowing whether or not everything we fought for was in vain. We all want to sit in the king’s seat, but we don’t want the sword that hangs over it.

True heroes don’t want to be heroes. They fight blindly for what they believe in, ignoring the poison of despair that surrounds them. True heroes don’t want to save the world. They don’t want to be recognized. They just want to see what they strive for blossom. And sometimes, in so doing, they achieve a goal that does indeed save the world, and are given the so –called ‘hero worship’. But even so, very few heroes are ever noticed. There are heroes who lie in unmarked graves. There are heroes who die everyday in wars all around the world defending people who don’t even know they exist. There are heroes that wake up every morning with a nagging wife, rebellious child and a sizable mortgage, that put on uniforms and go out to protect us. Heroes don’t die knowing that they’ll get a front page headline with a monument in the city square. Heroes die only knowing that they died fighting for what they believed in and that they can fight no more. And even in that moment, they aren’t afraid. True heroes are never afraid to die.

So before you don your red cape and pull your underwear up over your pants, think of this: heroes should be willing to die for what they stand for, be it a physical death or any other kind. If you don’t think that you can do that, then stop. There is no shame in that. If we were all heroes, then there would be no one left to save. There are many other ways that you could help and be an example to those around you, but try not to get caught up in the heroics. Just live for what you believe in, and everything else would follow.

You can’t be the messiah without being crucified.

Slow Me Down

Walking around campus, it's pretty easy to identify all the freshmen students. It's as if someone took a Sharpie and wrote "NOOB" across their forehead. Something about them is just so different. Maybe it's that joyous look they have on their faces that they're finally in college- a look which goes away quickly enough when they start going to classes. Maybe it's the clueless look they have when they're trying to figure out if Engineering Lecture Room 1 and Engineering Lecture Theater 1 are the same place. Whatever it is it makes it pretty easy to notice them.

Their most defining characteristic-for me at least- is their age. They all look so much like little kids walking around in adults clothing (especially the really small Indian girls! Some of them are so tiny!!). I know fully well that they are most two years younger than me, and that there is a chance that some of them may be in fact older than me, but it doesn't stop them for all appearing like children to me. And to be honest with you, that scares me a lot. It's only been a little over a year now since I start university, and yet already I see a such a large gap between myself and the new entrants to the school. It's as if I walked around the corner and BAM! - an entire year just slipped past.

We are often asked the question "If you knew you were going to die soon, what would you do?" People typically answer by saying that they'd do all they things they wanted to do in life, but never got to do. Things like flying to France, climbing Mt. Everest, eating at a special restaurant, swimming the Atlantic Ocean, and even less noble wishes like getting laid or robbing a store. You see it all the time on the news and on various other media, where people are doing daredevil crazy things because their doctor gave them a couple of months to live. I, however, really don't see the point in that. We spend our entire life rushing from one thing to another, going to school, work, home, church and many other places. We engage in as many sports as we can, learn to play several instruments and hang out and party for as long as time allows. Why is it that when we know we're going to die that we do the exact same things?

Like I said above, time is flying by at an unbelievable rate. Soon we'd look back and see exactly how small the footprints behind us are. But it doesn't mean that we should try to pack our every waking moment with activities so that never feel like we're doing 'nothing'. If we do that, in the end, all we'd have to look back at are the things we didn't get to accomplish. Sometimes doing nothing is good. Just to take one day, every once in a while, and do nothing at all. Perhaps watch some TV, listen to some music or take a walk. To just stop rushing through life for a moment and just live. I'm not saying to be lazy, but not to be so obsessed with your life that you miss it.

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, so technically, we all don't have much time to live. If I were to find out that I were to die soon, I wouldn't rush around trying to accomplish a bucket list of goals. I'd do what I've always like doing. Watching loads of anime. Reading science fiction novels. Hanging out with my friends and laughing till our eyes run water and our sides hurt. Spontaneously going on long excursions to buy Japs. That way when the end comes, all the memories I have of my last days, would be of the things I love. The name of this post comes from a song by Emmy Rossum, which pretty much captures the entire idea of the post. There's one line that stands out though. It goes "All that I've missed I see in the reflection, passed me while I wasn't paying attention." Don't let that be you. Learn to slow down.

P.S. OH OH OH!!!! I need to tell you this. One of the persons responsible for inspiring this blog, Elizabeth Thræn has written a blog post in response to yesterday's post!! I'm am soo excited!!! You can read it here!

You can also listen to the song mentioned in today's post here.
See you guys tomorrow!!