Heroism Essay

Heroes In 1982, an Air Florida jet crashed into a river killing all but five passengers. The survivors waited for nearly a half hour before being rescued by a helicopter and two different men, both bystanders to the crash. The two men today are considered heroes and are praised for their courageous achievement. Today the common conception of a hero is a man who flies over your head in tights fighting evil; yet what does it truly mean to be considered a hero of the real world? Throughout the world the term “hero” is used to describe numerous kinds of people in all walks of life. Generally, to be considered a hero, one must determine one’s self for the greater good, be looked up to for inspiration, or have selfless acts for another person or cause. Every hero throughout the ages has helped create the standards which people use today to describe what it means to be hero.
The most common achievement of heroism is a selfless act of courage and determination. When Lenny Skutnik; a bystander of the 1982 plane crash; saw the few survivors struggling to stay afloat in the icy river, he probably assured himself that some one else would come to help those people. A rescue helicopter did show, however when he saw a woman slip from the helicopters safety line, he dived into the river to take matters into his own hands, and attempt to save the woman's life, endangering his own in the process. With surely much persistence, Lenny managed to drag the lady through the icy water and pull her out the river to safety, a great accomplishment after he risked his own life for a woman he did not know. Even though he could have drowned or died from the freezing temperatures, he pushed forward thinking only of the woman's safety, and despite his probable instincts pushing him to forfeit and save himself, he succeeded. Persistence is a key role in the process to achieve heroic deeds. With courage and determination, Skutnik managed a feat most would never attempt, yet in an interview he