Ordinary People Becoming Extraordinary

Do you consider yourself ordinary? Who would you describe as being extraordinary? What defines a hero? Who are the people you admire most? Are they also your role models? What are our criteria for greatness? The standards for excellence in our modern culture are quite confusing. The idols we worship today -- superstars in sports, Hollywood, TV and all our other cultural symbols -- deeply skew and distort reality. How can anyone growing up in today's society have a clear headed view on true value and worth when the greatest premium is placed on celebrity hood, wealth, power and influence? When looks and pizzazz eclipse substance and character, how can an impressionable child ever hope to value the simple beauty of the "ordinary" person and the power of innocence and unadorned beauty? In the shadow of fantasy stars of celluloid and gold, no wonder so many of us consider ourselves ordinary, plain and unexciting.