Your Hero or Mine?

Last week there was a lot of news about Caitlyn Jenner.

 As expected there are many ideas and opinions about her and how she is approaching this transition in her life.   I personally have been so fascinated with this story that I have read a fair amount of what has been written, and I have watched anything that I knew was addressing her story.  (I suppose you could say I am one of the people that the media is catering to in putting so much out there.)  Most of what I have seen and read has been useful.  By useful I mean that it helps me see things from a point of view other than my own.

However, there is one sentiment I have seen that makes me feel compelled to speak out.

There have been several posts on Facebook that show a picture of a military image, a veteran, or a soldier that have said something along the lines of, ‘With all the talk of Caitlin Jenner, let’s remember what real bravery is/who the real heroes are.’ 

I realize that many people agree with this.  I also realize that those who don’t agree may just turn away from it.  I however, have repeatedly felt compelled to speak about the message this puts forth.

First let me say that calling Caitlyn Jenner brave does not detract from the bravery of anyone else.  It is in the realm of the possible to see Caitlyn’s actions as brave AND see the actions of any number of other people as brave as well.  A person who is looking for their own courage, their own source of bravery can look at Caitlyn Jenner and call her their hero without it taking any bravery away from your heroes.  

Some people may believe only one form of bravery can exist.  That the bravery of a woman who is in the midst of a gender transition cannot co-exist with the bravery of a soldier or veteran who fights/fought for freedom.

In the past several decades we have begun to move beyond thinking that there can only be one way.  We have begun to recognize the reality that maybe a person can be in science and have faith in God.  We recognize that the way you read a book and interpret it may be vastly different than how another person interprets it.  Some of us even recognize that this can be true of scripture.  In fact people even recognize that the way they understood a passage of scripture 5 years ago may be different than how they see that same passage today.  There is room in the world for variety and diversity.  Even among our heroes.

 That brings me to my next point.  This is what has me so bothered by all those posts.  You see when you say, “This is REAL bravery,” or, “These are the REAL heroes,” it also sends the message that those are the only forms of bravery and heroes.  Yes you get your point out that you see Caitlyn Jenner as neither brave nor a hero.  You also discount many other forms of bravery, and many heroes that have never ever worn a uniform or even held a weapon.  

Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, etc., are often brave and honorable people.

But please do not insinuate that their's is the only bravery that counts, or that military heroes are the only ones that exist.

I see bravery every day in a million ways. 

My older sister and my best friend who take chemo regularly KNOWING that they will never be cured of the cancer that is trying to destroy them, are brave.

The children who face school every day knowing they will never learn like other people and will never be the kind of ‘smart’ the world looks up to, are brave. 

The single parents who struggle every day to be enough, do enough, earn enough, they are brave.

Bravery exists in a million forms, and yes I think that Caitlyn Jenner is brave.  I doubt I would have the courage to do what she has done if I were in her shoes.  Instead I would probably keep myself trapped in a false life that would eventually wear me down to a shell of a person.  Yet that does not mean that I think my brother, who was an Army Ranger and is now a police sergeant, is any less brave than I did a month ago.  He risks his life every day for other people’s safety.  That is brave.  It takes courage.  My thinking Caitlyn Jenner is brave does not diminish that.

I can also see that for millions of people out there who have no idea how to find their own voice, Caitlyn Jenner might very well be a hero.  That does not make someone like Noah Galloway any less a hero to the people who watched him prove to the world that a ‘disabled’ vet with PTSD could overcome those labels and do anything he wanted.

When you say that military people are the ‘real’ heroes, you offend me as well.  Not a single one of the people I consider my ‘heroes’ have ever been in the military.  The people I admire as heroes fought wars without force, but with kindness, love, and knowledge instead.   In fact my greatest hero lived about 2,000 years ago for a brief 33 years.  Jesus never fought in a military battle, he never received accolades from a nation, and yet he is literally my hero, saving me from a meaningless, empty life.   

You do not have to like Caitlyn Jenner.  You do not have to approve of her.  I pray she no longer feels the need for approval from the public.  Though a little respect, for her and the people who see her as a hero, would go a long way.