The search for a hero

I was always fascinated by people who keep their cool under extreme duress. I am speaking about people who may seem ordinary but displays leadership by providing the right guidance in complicated scenarios. The world might be disintegrating around them, but they keep their head high and heart strong. According to me, such a person is a hero. We may think it is easy to find heroes. To tell you the truth, it is a rare species. Every leader has a flaw. Unfortunately, the most common fault of leaders is their inability to control their anger. Hence most of the leaders we come across get automatically disqualified from the title of a hero. In my constant quest for extraordinary people, I came across a hero. But there was a surprise in store for me in the interaction with the hero.

The hero is an acquaintance. He was handling multiple initiatives which were giving him quite a bit of trouble. By observing the buzzing movement around him for updates, you will be able to guess the magnitude of his pain. On one such day where the pain levels were high, I found him sipping a cold beverage, that too a non-alcoholic one. On seeing him enjoying the drink, I enquired unable to contain my curiosity. "How can you be so cool?" But the hero's response disappointed me. I didn't get an answer. Instead, I received a warm smile from him. A few days later, the hero tracked me down. I was surprised to find him. I was even more surprised when he brought up our previous interaction as part of the conversation. "I didn't understand your question. That is why I was not able to respond". I was not sure where this was leading. So I waited. "Another person asked me the same question. That is when it dawned on me. Stress does not show on my face. It may be a bad thing because then people think I am not serious. But I am glad. The unfortunate part is that I can't see my face when I am confronting trouble. I can only feel my heart beating faster. I might not be panicking, but I am worried."

I was puzzled. Here is a man who qualifies to be called a hero. But he doesn't realize it himself. While this thought consumed my mind, the hero spoke again. "I wish I could see myself during such situations. I always admired people who kept a cool head while confronting problems. I never thought I was one such person." The final statement reminded me of all the great quests and their ending. What you search is closer than you think it is. In the hero's case, it was closer to home.

Picture Courtesy: Lovro67