More Great Men
I've got some more heroes for you. Boy, with all these hero stories I've got coming out of the woodwork, one would almost think that men possess a few redeeming qualities afterall! The following are both true stories.
In the mid 1800's a group of men, women and children were crossing the plains of United States. They were ill-equipped for the journey and had suffered terribly. Part way through their journey, they reached a river that they had hoped would be easy to cross. They found a wide expanse of water teeming with floating junks of ice. At this point, many members of the party sat down and wept because they knew they were too weak and would be unable to cross. Around this time, a group of men arrived who'd come to offer assistance to the struggling people. An 18 year old boy, along with two of his friends saw the predicament and, without hesitation, preceded to carry each and every member of the party across the river. Later on, all three of these young men died from complications due to exposure. Before they died, they had each expressed on numerous occassions that they didn't regret a thing, and were only glad that they had the opportunity to serve.
I can't even type that without tearing up.
My great, great (possibly another great) grandfather also traveled across the United States in the mid 1800's. He wasn't a part of the above group, but he was part of a similar party. He was 16 years old and was traveling with his parents, his 2 young brothers and baby sister. Early on in the journey, he was forced to bury both of their parents. This 16 year old boy traveled the remaining distance, all the way west to California, taking over the family and taking care of his brothers and sister, the oldest of which was nine years old. He cared for and raised them on his own, becoming responsible for 3 young children when he was only a child himself.
Throughout time, men have inspired us with their acts of bravery and heroism. Now, I don't want to give the impression that I don't think women do anything of worth. They have and they do. For instance, I think the worth of a mother who gives of herself lovingly and selflessly to the care of her children is of inestimable worth. Women have done great things, the problem is, many women don't seem to value that which women have contributed. By the same token, many women refuse to acknowledge the great contributions men have made. They would prefer to counter any positive estimation of men by pointing out any evil that has been committed by men. This is so unneccessary and so sad. How tragic when people are too mean-spirited to give credit where it is due.
28th-September-2007
