What is a Hero?

In the days following the inauguration, I've been thinking about heroes. I know that Barack Obama has become a hero to many people already. Just getting elected to be the president is a massive achievement and I hope that this will be a great presidency. Not so much because I believe that Barack Obama will solve all our problems. I hope it is a great presidency because this country needs to get back on track. I think Mr. Obama is a good man trying to do good things but I know that a president isn't all powerful. To actually change things will require cooperation throughout the government. My hope is that Mr. Obama will be able to facilitate that cooperation.

My thoughts about heroes reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend. She is from Trinidad and her husband is from China. Her children are sometimes teased at school because they look different and she finds it a challenge to find people her children can look up to. Sure there are great people throughout the world and throughout history but I think everyone would like to look at that spectrum of great people and see someone who looks like them and has the same background as them.

I didn't always think that it mattered to me until I was reading a book by Cokie Roberts called "Our Mothers Daughters". In that book Cokie wrote about an interview she did with Esther Peterson. As I read about the great accomplishments of this "Mormon Girl" who moved out of Utah and married someone who wasn't Mormon, I felt something that I have never felt before. It was a mixture of pride, confirmation and exhilaration. I was proud of what Esther had accomplished and it was as if her accomplishments validated my life decisions because she had made the same decisions and she succeeded. I was thrilled to find someone who looked like me and had the same background as me in that spectrum of great people.

I immediately put Esther Peterson's memoir on my wish list at Amazon. Why I didn't just buy it I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is that I'm always reading 3 or 4 books at the time and I probably thought I should wait and buy it once I've finished reading the books I have already started. Thankfully a friend bought it for me and I devoured the book. I was reading it in the carpool to and from work and when I read about some particularly impressive accomplishment I shared it with my fellow carpoolers. They probably thought I was crazy.

So, I'm going to share some of the things about Esther Peterson that I think are really great. I'd like to do more posts about other people that I think are just wonderful. I find it so difficult to make time to post as it is that I'll just have to see how it goes.

First, how is Esther Peterson like me? Well, she grew up in a very conservative Mormon family in a conservative Mormon community. In her memoirs Esther wrote of some of the things that weren't great about the Mormon community and the things that were wonderful. I could relate to and appreciate her balanced look at what it is to grow up in Utah. I loved how she treasured and exemplified the good things about the Mormon culture and how she simply dropped the bad things from her life. This is something I try to do every day.

How reassuring it was to read about the questions she had regarding Mormonism. I wanted to stand up and shout "I'm not alone"! Esther also escaped the confines of strict Mormon society by moving east and eventually marrying someone who was not Mormon.

I may not achieve the level of success that Esther Peterson achieved. I will be happy to live a full life and live in a way that I am true to my beliefs and ideals. You may be wondering what makes this woman so great. Well, how often do you use the nutrition labels on a package of food? You have the reliable information about the food you eat because of Esther's work as a consumer advocate. What about the clothing labels that tell you what's in the clothing and how to clean it? How about the requirement that advertisements be truthful and pricing be understandable? There are so many things that consumers in the US take for granted that exist because of Esther Peterson. In her later years she worked at the United Nations trying to ensure that materials banned in the US for health reasons were not used in products which were shipped overseas. She was always looking out for everyone.

Esther also did a lot for workers and in particular women. Today, I hear a lot of complaints about unions and I have a few of my own. The pendulum has swung so far in favor of unions that workers who are part of unions abuse the system sometimes. When Esther was getting started in her career the pendulum was in favor of the employer and they were abusing their employees. Esther organized people into unions with the intent that together they could fight for fair wages and fair treatment. She was really good at finding something that worked for both the employer and the employees. During Kennedy's presidency, Esther headed the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor and she worked to improve working conditions and get equal pay. She also ensured that a job could not be designated for "men only". Esther also started the work that lead to the laws regarding occupational safety and health.

There are so many things, I could go on and on. I'll let you read Esther's book "Restless" and enjoy her entire story for yourself.

So, who are your heroes and what makes that person a hero to you?