When I was growing up the old western was
the main stay of television programming.
You may have had your favorite: starting in 1949, Hopalong Cassidy rode into
the homes of western film lovers on the small screen. Soon to follow were such shows as Gunsmoke,
Cheyenne, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, and many others. By the late 1950s the western was so popular
that they dominated other prime time TV shows.
One of my personal favorites was The Lone
Ranger. This lone Texas Ranger donned the
mask to preserve justice in the old west.
He personified all that was good in people. Along with his faithful Indian companion Tonto
they would also save the day without sticking around for a “thank you.” They felt it their moral obligation to help
those that needed their assistance and had a strong sense of civil responsibility
and humanitarianism. I would make sure
that I was glued to the family television set on Saturday mornings. While others were entertaining themselves
with cartoons, I was enthralled with the escapades of The Lone Ranger and
Tonto. It was much later that I learned
that the Saturday morning programs were actually reruns of the program that had
aired for years on Thursday nights.
Something that I have always remembered
about those programs is that regardless of what happened the “good guys” (who
always wore the white hats) always had to win by the end of the program. The “bad guys” (who always wore the black
hats) were never presented as being wealthy or successful in any way. Today you would have a hard time finding a
program that carried that kind of moral character within its framework. At times most of the movies today (western or
otherwise) portray the scheming “bad guys” as very successful and wealthy. By their actions you may have trouble telling
the “good guys” from the “bad” for most of the program.
Heroes have certainly changed over the
years. At least, within the movie
industry. But something that hasn’t
changed is that a hero is still admired or idealized for courage, outstanding
achievements, or noble qualities.
Real-life heroes can be found within every community in the
country. They are the ones, who despite
their own circumstances, put their lives or needs below the needs of others.
We see them everywhere! They are firemen, policemen, school teachers,
medical personnel and others in the community who have, like The Lone Ranger
and Tonto, have no desire or need to hear a “thank you” for what they do,
because they are more concerned with their own moral obligations to assist
those who are in need.
These are the individuals who have
presented themselves to serve in behalf of others when things are not going as
smoothly as they should be. Today that
includes many others that at one time we may not have thought of as a hero, but
have shown that they respond when the circumstances call for it. Even if we personally don’t have the
opportunity to say “thank you” with words, let us always keep them close to our
hearts and think of them often. Sadly,
many times we fail to do this, because we’re only human.
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"There is no life
that is not worth saving."
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