My Hero!

     What does the word "hero" mean to me? Well to be quite honest, I have two very different images whenever I think of that word. They pop up in my mind at the same time, so I couldn't really tell you one which one I admire more. These two heroes are people that “keep the peace” so to say, and imaginary superheroes. By the people that keep the peace, I kind of mean like the SRU (the Strategic Response Unit, which is like the SWAT team except they also do psychological profiling) and firefighters. They are extremely brave and courageous in my point of view, and that's why I admire them. As for superheroes…I mean that one is kind of self explanatory, don’t you think? I love superheroes like Iron Man because he doesn’t have some freak supernatural ability that is totally unrealistic. He’s just a total genius and brainiac, and he builds everything that helps him be a superhero. Some people hate him for that exact reason, but I think that it sends an important message out; you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it (no pun intended). 

     Going back to the SRU…I first became aware of this team by watching a Canadian TV show called Flashpoint. I think it’s one of my favorite TV shows because it reveals the tremendous hardships of being somebody that people look up to for protection. At the same time, you must have the courage to step into deathly situations with only a bulletproof vest and your mind to protect you. These specialized officers have the ability to talk down people thinking about suicide, people about to set off bombs, people about to commit murder in any way shape or form, or worse. Yes, worse. They don’t have written scripts for situations they are needed at because they never really know what they are getting themselves into until they profile everything that is going on at the scene. They then keep the peace and are incredibly brave  and wise in every action that they take.