Hero.
Chinese character: Ying. Hero, heroic, brave. Above is the character for “grass.” Below is a phonetic. This word originally indicated the highest tip of a stalk of grass, which was not only the tallest part, but the part from which the plant continued to grow. Later, the word was borrowed to mean “heroic.” Be heroic, but be smart too.
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Why do we have heroes? Because it is part of what is most noble in the human heart.
Life is difficult to confront. Chance and ruin are overwhelming; the heart and mind are fragile. Those who manage to assert their will against the odds are admirable. When we are the ones who are able to triumph over adversity, we have reached a rare and fleeting moment.
No one can set out to be a hero. No one can fake being a hero. Being a hero is a matter of being prepared for a gift in time. Time will give you the opening. It is how you then respond that will decide whether you have taken advantage of your opportunity.
Having any less than heroic aspirations is to settle for mediocrity, and the mediocre never develop the perceptions and reflexes needed to follow Tao. But if you want to be extraordinary, concentrate only on perfecting yourself. Don’t think about being a hero. In actuality, the degree of a person’s heroism is often decided afterward. We needn’t care about how others judge us. As long as we grasp the importance of a moment, meet the opportunity, and respond to it with the whole of our being, then we can consider ourselves heroes. This, then, is the true meaning of heroism: you met whatever came your way with every bit of yourself.
Life is simple, Tao is hard. By being heroic in life, we can make a beginning in Tao.
-- Everyday Tao, by Deng Ming-Dao.
