Unsung Heroes 12/01/15
As I returned to work today and people asked about my
holiday and I explained that it was good and that it was quiet. It got me
thinking about all the people that I have met over the last few years and how
grateful I am to have met them. I am calling them the unsung hearo’s because
they all have a story of strength and courage that I am honor to have known
these people, even if was for just a belief conversation. See these people
showed me that it not what happens to you that shows who you are, it’s what is
in you that defines you. Here are but a few of the conversation or people that
I have met. I have changed their names to protect and honor them.
I had a do a project on sub-culture and my choice was Deaf
culture and how they see the world, being that they cannot hear the world the
same as most people. I will call him Dr. D because I don’t know Sign language
we communicated via email. I am not tech savvy so this was the easier for me to
understand his world. See we all live in our own world and integrate into
society. What I learned from Dr. D is that we have this perception of a
community that want to be part of society in more ways than we can possibly
understand. This community of people which is about three percent of the
population see people for who they really our and don’t hide themselves because
they can’t. Their language diversity does not allow them just show up for life.
They have too fully adjust in society to be seen and heard. See their language
is not taught in main stream society and they are constantly trying to adapt to
the hearing world, even when we don’t take the opportunity to understand them.
There has been considerable advances for this community, but
it still falls short in many ways. We many resources at our disposal yet, keys
things like video don’t always have closed caption and telephone in hotels are
not video or translations of education material is not update to allow them
access to even a movie at the theater. My time spend doing this project was eye
opening in the least. I started questioning everything from going to the store,
to going to Doctor or asking for assistance if I was deaf and by myself. Dr. D
show me a view of the world that I had not known before and that everyone has a
responsibility to bridge a world for everyone not just the hearing world and I
thank him from the bottom of my heart. To be able to see like him, if it was not
for people like him trying to bridge this world for all people what kind of
human being are we.
Tibo is a retired veteran who has spent the last 20 years
fighting for his benefits after serving in wars and our country. He has service
in Beirut, Afghanistan, Gulf and numerous other places. It he has a partial leg
and have severe frost bite which caused his fingers to swell, which ended his
career in the military. His memories are not about what he endured in any war
or what he has seen, his story is about how he spent 20 years fighting for
medical benefits that he was entitled too from serving our country. Until he
told me about is story I would never have known that unless our country is in
an active war the benefits only really apply to war not active service and
fighting for benefits and medical care for injury that are not due to loss of
limb has been a struggle more so that active service.
To think that they leave the service to then have to fight
for medical benefits and follow up care in a system that is regulated where
they may spend hours in travel and the VA facility just be referred them for
more tests to see whether their care is even medical necessary. That
the men and women who serve to protect us leave their career to only begin a
new battle to get what they were promise by putting their lives first to
protect this nation. I was inspired by all that he had seen and done, he still
has the strength and courage to fight, to be treated fairly when the odds were
against him with medical care that he rightly earned. So I am blessed to know
that these brave women and men continue to fight for us even when our own government
does not make it easy for them and that these people who we voted for are doing
a dis-service when we don’t honor them for being brave humans that protect us
all.
Alice is a women who fled with her child from her husband that
tried to kill her several times. They last time she saw him he tried to cut her
in half with a saw. I don’t know why or how and it was not my place to ask why,
but I do know that it took the strength of god will to save her own life and
her child from a man that apparently was a danger to society and her. We never
understand why people crack or what triggers a situation for people to do the
unthinkable to another human. Yet each day we countlessly utter words that
spread out into the world about people in general. I will admit I have done
my share and have also learned that words are more powerful then we realize. I
try really hard to not react to the many things that people do and remember that
it takes one person to forgive, even when it just forgiving ourselves first
from the horrors that other people conjure within themselves. I am forever grateful
that she took her power back to save herself and child. And no matter what we
must take care of our self-first and believe that we not here to live in fear, and
that we don’t deserve to be mistreated by anyone. We always have a choice.
This one is special, in the fact that it show compassion in
it pure form. I was on the public transportation system and I remember it was
one of those days when it was cold and damp kind of like today. I was on the
bus and a young man who traveled on the bus every day, who had down syndrome showed
compassion when no one on the front of the bus would. This man who had all the
right to sit in front of bus because of his diversity and that here is seats
that state that it’s for handicap people only. He did the unthinkable got up
and allow an older person to have his seat. While numerous people around him
did even think of moving for this older person, who was unable to stand when
traveling to wherever they may have been going.
I watched as this played out and the people that surrounded
him. I only wish that these people could have seen that facial reaction and
body language as they refused to give up their seat. This young man in my eyes
and many others watched as he did not even stop to think about not getting up
for someone else. He did not see himself less or above anyone that day. It
brought tears to my eyes for what he did for another person. And that day was a
big lesson in compassion that there are no boundaries to show human kindness
and compassion for another human being. That regardless we all know the
differences of right and wrong and how people should be treated. This man will
forever stay in my heart, because I was so moved that day and it touch me that
even now. I remember that day like it was yesterday, but happen three years
ago.
These stories are what I am thankful for because I shared
these moments with these people who are in my eyes the true heroes and they may
not ever make front page news. They do remind me that there is always someone
who has it worst then myself and the strength and courage it takes to just be
humble in world filled with so many is gifts.
