We Can Be Heroes, Just For One Day
Our assignment for paper two is a) defining a hero, and b) taking an icon of pop culture from the past fifty years, someone we believe exemplifies our view of a hero. I have chosen Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as my icon. More and more I identify true heroes as being those who cast aside personal desires and motives for the greater good of humanity. But what strikes me most profoundly about Dr. King is the methods he used in his activism. While others, like extremist Malcolm X, sought vengeance upon white America, King merely desired coexistence and harmony, not only in America, but the world on a whole.
King also became one of the most vocal critics on the Vietnam War, emphasizing a movement of non-violence. Dr. King labeled America as "the greatest purveyor of violence", a bold statement in a time of war. But it is exactly these less accepted messages that I want to examine and bring to light.
Another lesser known, but no less important, heroic figure that has impacted me is Dr. Jonas Salk. Dr. Salk was a medical researcher and virologist, whose vaccine for Polio was declared safe and effective in 1955. But instead of acquiring patents, or selling the vaccine, Salk graciously gave the vaccine away for free, claiming it "belonged to the people". I am not the type to declare patriotism, but the actions of Dr. Salk seem to me to embody the spirit of what the founding fathers envisioned.
If the world contained more Martin Luther King and Jonas Salks, people more concerned with the general well-being of mankind, and not their own personal gain, what great impacts could be made. Humanity could do much greater things for itself, but instead we (myself included) fall victim to American Idolatry and Angry Bird flu.
King also became one of the most vocal critics on the Vietnam War, emphasizing a movement of non-violence. Dr. King labeled America as "the greatest purveyor of violence", a bold statement in a time of war. But it is exactly these less accepted messages that I want to examine and bring to light.
Another lesser known, but no less important, heroic figure that has impacted me is Dr. Jonas Salk. Dr. Salk was a medical researcher and virologist, whose vaccine for Polio was declared safe and effective in 1955. But instead of acquiring patents, or selling the vaccine, Salk graciously gave the vaccine away for free, claiming it "belonged to the people". I am not the type to declare patriotism, but the actions of Dr. Salk seem to me to embody the spirit of what the founding fathers envisioned.
If the world contained more Martin Luther King and Jonas Salks, people more concerned with the general well-being of mankind, and not their own personal gain, what great impacts could be made. Humanity could do much greater things for itself, but instead we (myself included) fall victim to American Idolatry and Angry Bird flu.