●♥ Invisible Heroes ♥●
“The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible battles inside all of us – that's where it's at.”
–Jesse Owens
The world best knows Jesse Owens for the gold medals that he won in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. However, his life shows us that he had to overcome many personal trials and troubles well beyond those we saw on the athletic field. So too it is with each one of us. Every visible victory that we can actually witness has been preceded by the triumph of countless savage internal battles.
Sure, we see and cheer the winning goals and the home runs but we never see the motivational struggles to practice in the early morning hours. We keep score of all the touchdowns but we do not count all the decisions to make the effort that keeps improving the best and making it better. Yet these are the necessary and heroic choices that play out daily and yield the wins that we all applaud.
We do not see the real wars that define our society. If we could then we would soon realize that we are surrounded by invisible heroes. We would see the tired and lonely person behind the cheerful smile of our friendly server. We would know and understand the disappointment and failed dreams of our productive co-worker. In short, we would see the scars and wounds on people’s hearts and souls and I think we would become far more kind, forgiving and understanding.
I recognize that we all need ideals to encourage and inspire us; the big shiny heroes that media and society regularly hail feed that appetite. I do not want to take away from those people and their achievements. What I am hoping to do is twofold. First, I would like us to open our eyes and our minds to the invisible heroes that circulate around each and every one of us.
We may not see their struggles but we should know that everyone has them and we need to realize that even the most mundane of us can be waging heroic battle and overcoming some very real demons in just to keep going every day. Earning a living, keeping a loving family together, being a good friend and citizen… these simple things should not be downplayed or undervalued. We all know and see the terrible costs when individuals lose the invisible wars.
Secondly, I would like us to acknowledge our own invisible struggles and victories. We need to give ourselves credit for wrestling with our own fears. We may not always outwardly succeed when we choose to oppose our fears, but I assert that we always win somehow when we make that choice. When we turn away from the darkness and choose life and living, no matter how hard, then that is a victory. When life slaps us hard and yet we choose to push back our tears and try again tomorrow that is triumphant!
Yes, we should celebrate when we achieve or make progress towards outward goals. So too should we rejoice when we overcome the naysayers in our minds and opt to hold true to our hearts dream. Heroes are made from the inside out and there are far more heroes than we ever acknowledge. Let’s see ourselves and each other with new eyes today.
Perhaps that person that you smiled at is fellow warrior in heart of a battle and you just provided them some more ammo to continue the good fight. Acknowledge your own silent conflicts and make note when you make difficult positive choices. Be compassionate both within and without. Remember that though not all battles yield gold medals this does not mean that they do not count. The ground you gain in your heart today make be the seed to the success that shines through tomorrow.
Cheers!
©2020 Scott D. Wilson
