Hero

There is something awesome to me about The Eagle. Some people hold other individuals as heroes. The Eagle is my hero. I imagine the Eagle to have the qualities that I find most important. What might those qualities be? I shall try to tell you.

The Eagle is proud and self-confident, but not flashy. He can hunt and eat and fly and be awesome very well. And he knows that he can do all of these things. But like Disco Stu, he doesn't advertise.

The Eagle is observant and judges his surroundings, but is always open to changes or errors in earlier judgement. In my imagination, The Eagle sits perched and looks around, taking it all in, learning what is going on around him. Then he makes an observation about his surroundings. But he is never so conceded to think that he has it all right. He is always learning and giving a second chance.

He goes for what he wants and will fight to get it. The Eagle is brave and doesn't give up. I imagine The Eagle to always love a challenge and be willing to face obstacles in order to achieve his goals. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." In Kyle's world, The Eagle is tough.

I see the Eagle as honest. Always honest and open. He doesn't hide things from others, especially the people he calls his friends. He tells them the truth, even when it may be painful for them to hear because he knows that honesty means that people aren't misguided. Someone once said to me, and this is a rough translation, "To not tell the whole truth is the same as lying." The Eagle tells it how it is.

But he is also compassionate. Because he is honest, he helps his friends identify their true obstacles. Then he helps them overcome those obstacles. He doesn't guide his friends down a path that will lead to failure but he encourages his friends to follow their dreams and he offers his assistance whenever possible. The Eagle is a "Tough Love" kind of guy.

He has a sense of what is right and what is wrong and he follows that sense. He doesn't throw his morals to the side in order to get what he wants. As said before, he is open to new ideas of what is right and wrong, but he follows his moral code strictly. The Eagle is honorable and admirable.

The Eagle is my hero. OK - The Eagle and my dad are my heroes. But right now, we're focused on Eagles. Obviously, I have never met an Eagle, but I use the Eagle as an object for all of these qualities that I strive to personify.

I have a question for you. Audience participation, if you will. And even if you don't answer here, it is a good exercise in self-reflection and personal development: Who or what is your hero and why?