the banality of heroism

"I did what everyone could do and what everyone ought to do" 
I love heroes and my favorite kind are the every day people that do something extraordinary because it's the right thing to do. Just look at the guy above or, if you need something a little more recent, Charles Ramsey. These are just regular people who got out of their own heads for one moment and rescued another person from the horrible situation they were in. I know if we all think about it we probably all have our own personal heroes. For me the one who stands out is my dear friend, Chris. When I was in college, I went through a serious bout of major depression and self-harm. I honestly don't know if anyone ever noticed the cuts and scars on my arms because no one ever said anything. When Chris and I became close, he noticed right away and did something about it and I haven't gone back to those ways since. Many people find this to be common sense but a lot of people go about life "minding their own business" and never reaching out to help the people that truly need it. So next time you see that homeless person on your way into Starbucks, come out with an extra sandwich. When some guy is harassing a lady on the train, tell him to back off. Speak out against the injustices that you witness (like my favorite psych teacher, seriously, read his blog, it's going to be amazeballs). Just do something for someone else. You might not be doing anything you think is huge but, to the person you help, it could be the one thing they needed most.