Monday 6 November 2017

Don't take your heroes for granted.

Back to the bookclub discussion of Beck Weather's Left for Dead (2 previous posts here). One of the most amazing things about Beck's rescue, was overcoming the impossibility of it even happening. He writes "Nobody told Peach about this. And since she didn't know it couldn't have been done, she did it." Very much like the poem of Edgar Albert Guest , sometimes the impossible is achieved, because you don't listen to logic. Your determination overrides the roadblocks.

Colonel Madan Khatri Chhetri, the brave man who took on all the risk in the rescue effort said, as to why he did it, that while he believed it was the right thing to do, that wasn't the reason he risked everything. "I didn't want to second guess myself everyday for the rest of my life."
I love the honesty of this reason. The hero in us all is there, and maybe not on the high moral ground as a superbeing, but just a person who feels they have to try. Not diminishing the extraordinary courage he exhibited in his actions, but those that do great things are not on a different plane from us until their choices elevate them. In They are all my family, Riordon says something along the lines of 'What kind of person decides to try this insane rescue without a proper plan? A person with no other choice.' Sometimes the greatest heroes just do what they feel they have to.

Beck acknowledges Madan as the most extraordinary person in the book. He took all the risk when really he didn't need to at all. He wasn't even on the mountain, but he put himself in great danger to save another. When Beck's wife writes a thank you letter to Madan, they learn that after all the lives he has saved, this was the first time he was ever thanked. "Maybe we all just take our heroes for granted."

So two things to learn from this book:
(1) Don't get caught up in the negative assumptions of others, just set your mind to it and make it happen.
(2) Don't assume those doing heroic things are any different to you (don't use that as an excuse to not do the same), and most of all, thank them. Acknowledge the good deeds around you.


As I didn't want to go into great detail of the rescue to save it for those who are yet to read the book, I'll share the details of this later rescue Madan performed, made more courageous when you know he's had experience with it not always working as planned.

Linking with #FortheloveofBLOG #DreamteamBloggers #BookNook  #The FabulousParty and #TwinklyTuesday

12 comments:

  1. It's very hard to shut out the negative thoughts of others but doing that is the only way to achieve great things, isn't it?

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  2. Such important life lessons and yes to acknowledging the good deeds of others. I don't think we do that nearly enough.

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  3. Ooooh. Good lessons! Looks like a worthy read.
    Never make assumptions. A big one according to "The Four Agreements" (a philosophy I try to live by).

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  4. I have learned many times never to assume...you know the old saying it makes an "ass" of "U" and "me". I have learned this year to be more grateful and to share my gratitude. I think I was living a more insular life before then based on many fears and anxiety. Funnily enough, getting cancer helped me see past that. Denyse x

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  5. Really great lessons. I've found myself getting caught up in other people's negativity this week. It is so easy to be influenced if you're not careful.

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  6. Very wise words indeed and really makes you think X #twinklytuesday

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  7. Great lessons to live by! #dreamteam

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  8. So glad you brought this up, because being a hero is a conscious choice! There's a hero in each of us. thanks for visiting my blog!
    Am inviting you to link up to All Seasons (your experiences during the season -reading a particular book or researching a subject are part of them).
    Link is open from Sunday - Wed. evening 7pm, Pacific time. Search for the most recent title starting with "All Seasons." Hope to see you there!

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  9. Lydia,

    I think the goodness and courageousness in most people simply emerge without a second thought. I do believe that we all should not allow oneself to be embroiled by negativity. It's like being swallowed up in quicksand. You gotta find your footing, your determination to say I can either fail without trying or fail trying and who knows you might be surprised if you succeed. That's where I want to be - trying regardless of the outcome! We all have a little bit of "hero" in each of us. Good points to ponder. Thanks for dropping by for a visit. Have a good day!

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  10. We should definitely acknowledge the good deeds more. It's so easy to focus on the bad stuff which makes us feel rubbish. Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday

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  11. Those are really great lessons to learn! Definitely ones we could all apply to our lives. Thanks for sharing with #fortheloveofBLOG

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