HEROES

The other day I was sharing with Tj about the history of our country. I told him about colonialism and the Mau Mau rebellion. About the great men and women who not only desired freedom from colonial rule but were willing to fight for it, whatever the cost. He was so fascinated. As I shared with him about some of our country’s forgotten heroes, it hit me just how important it is to have a hero. People we can look up to and gain perspective from. I kept asking myself, yes there were all those names to be found in our history books, but were there any great men and women left from whom we could borrow a leaf or two? Is the era of great men and women, all leaders by their own rights, over?
Later on, I was watching a documentary about Mother Teresa, a catholic nun who made a huge difference among the Indian poor. She was nothing to write home about if one looked at her stature, short and bent; but in terms of passion she was a force to reckon with. She had passion for God and for the poor and suffering, and her compassion moved her to make a difference. One of her statements has become a mantra for me, “our contributions are but a drop in the ocean and yet without them, that drop will be forever missing”. She did not allow herself to be overwhelmed by the need to the point of desperation, rather she plod on, irrespective of the humongous need. She knew she could not make a difference to everyone, but she could make a difference to someone, and that was enough for her.
It made me think of my own life. It can be intimidating; I am just one person in a small time city in the third world. It sounds incredulous to imagine that I can make a difference. And yet if I do nothing about the things I am passionate about, then my contribution will forever be missing, for all eternity. I kept asking myself what am I so passionate about that I could give my whole existence for it. God and family, in that order. I realized that I could make a difference, maybe not globally, maybe not regionally, maybe not even in Kenya, but I could make a difference in my sphere. In heralding the need to make family a priority amongst those in my environs using whatever means available to me. I could speak, I could model, I could write.
I realized that my focus was askew; there were heroes all over if I could only open my eyes. Some of them graced the pages of history books but others plodded on everyday unaware of the great difference their everyday choices made to those who took time to observe them. Men and women who chose to work and provide for their children despite the harsh economic conditions. Men and women who chose to remain faithful and monogamous despite the myriad pressure to let go of the “shackles” and be happy. Men and women who chose to invest in their homes despite the sacrifice. Men and women who chose to be voices of reason and restraint in a world of decadence and moral decay. Unsung heroes, of whom books may never be written or songs composed but whose posterity would tell the difference.
It gave me hope to realize that I did not need to relay on the history pages to point out heroes for my children or better still to help them become heroes. I just needed to believe and to open my eyes to see the extraordinary within the ordinary.