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Chemistry and Heroism

Have you ever wondered what heroes are made of?

Well, technically and biologically speaking, even if the way to create a person has changed through the years, we should consider that all humans are still made of the same materials. Maybe scientists can define the percentages of the chemical elements used to form each part of a human body, be it an organ, a tissue, or just any part. Basically we know we are made of cells and that is a general rule for all types of bodies.

Thus, the concrete formation of people relies on concepts that are true for all of us. Even if each individual is a result of different combinations of elements, the elements themselves are the same: here we have a matter of quantities over time, what also relates to the history of the human race. Most probably the first primates have more of the monkeys' combinations than us, in our modern times – if we believe that we, the modern people, are really that much different from monkeys...

Thinking further: if we have as start point the idea that the physical body of people is composed by the same elements, we must understand the unquestionable fact that emotions come from other sources... or not? Here again, it is most probable that scientists have already formulated theories and even discovered mathematical ways to determine the percentages of the huge spectrum of emotional reactions and their consequences. We dare imagine that external facts like social environment, geopolitics, and many sociological aspects play a significant role on how people externalize their emotions. However... emotions are, yes, international and timeless.

So, if everybody is made of the same chemical elements and everybody feels the same variety of emotions, how can we explain the existence of ´heroes´? All through human history there have been those people who are willing to dedicate their passage on earth at the cost of their own lives, to protect and help other beings that in general are totally unknown and disconnected from their own emotional circle.

Religions offer some easy explanations: you sacrifice your life here and now and you will be rewarded after your death, when you will receive eternal gratitude in heaven. Here, your motto is to follow the laws dictated by the god(s) to whom you devoted your life. You believe in eternal life and you will meet your god after your human existence and you are ready to give it up in order to be together with your god and all the other members of god´s realm.

Another possibility lies on devoting yourself to a highly valued cause. You can put your life at risk for ´justice´, for ´freedom´, for ´honesty´, for ´equality´. Many heroes fight for peace, even if this sounds a semantical nonsense. In this case, we may consider that The Cause is more important than My Life. So it goes.

Again, scholars from various lines of studies most probably have the knowledge to be used as a basis to solve the crucial question ´what are heroes made of´, to which there is no simple answer.

Altruism, fanaticism, idealism, suicidal behavior, craziness. Whatever may be at the bottom of humanitarian acts, certainly requires a very special type of people... and their choice is far beyond the understanding of simple and ordinary people.

This is just a reflexion on one of the most beautiful and extraordinary facts around being a person.

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A Lesson for Life

History is full of facts that occurred just because some people and their deeds were taken for granted by those surrounding them in any situation. Intimacy usually played a predominant role here, but not necessarily close contact has meant someone has been taken for granted, on the contrary it can have been precisely the opposite: the more someone got to know someone else the less certainty resulted from his or her responses and actions.

Although not so often, it can happen at any time in history that cases of connections that become deep friendships or partnerships go on and on and as time passes the idea of ´it will last forever´ - as if such concept could ever be applied to our life – pops up as a flower whose seed has been sleeping during some seasons and decides to wake up at some point. The longer and the more frequent the contact between people, the stronger the feeling of knowing the limits and possibilities for the emotions from both sides to develop – and here we refer to the ´taking somebody for granted' feeling.

It´s quite understandable that where there was fear for the unknown the tranquility of walking on the solid ground of trust and confidence progressively turns to be the pattern that leads to love in any form it may exist. Loving and taking for granted speak the same language and walk in the same direction, leading to the excellency of communication and human relationship.

But sometimes there is an unexpected turn. Because life is full of surprises, the turn can lead to an abyss where we fall down before we have any possibility to realize what was expecting us in order to try and avoid that turn.

Taking safe turns for granted is not wise. The same goes for dealing with people.

Perhaps the© one thing to be taken for granted is the idea that we should never take anything or anybody for granted. So we can avoid falling into the void? Maybe. This should not be taken for granted either.

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Got Strong Legs?

It is difficult to precise when a new sitting system started to be imposed in public places where a waiting time is required before people can take their transport, and those can be airports, train stations or other places of the type.

However it is modernly obvious that something changed – and changed against the passengers or those who await the arrival of someone. The thing is: more and more there are less and less benches where to sit in the public areas of these places. Maybe you remember the time when you could spend some waiting time just ´waiting´? You could use this time to read, to talk with others around you or simply... thinking.

Well, this is past. As the number of public free sitting diminished around the main halls and most of all you are surrounded by an increased number of cafes, restaurants, cafeterias, etc...in special designs where tables and chairs invite you to have a well-deserved pause without the inconveniences of sharing spaces with unknown people.

This looks very attractive as a possibility to find different types of meals without having to leave the area that is the reason for your presence but the big hit is: pay or stand. Buy or get tired. Buy buy buy or get veeeery tired! Because even if you would not mind the presence of unknown people sitting next to you, this option basically does not exist. You must wait? It seems so. Your mobile phone can help pass the time. A book also – even if not so used anywhere anymore.

Of course you can also take the waiting time as a possibility to stroll around as well as enjoy the diversity of shop windows and displays – many finely decorated – and get some souvenirs or other things you did not plan to buy so far. If the weather is nice, some train stations are located in interesting parts of the cities and offer good chances to see nice surroundings. This is not the case of airports that use to be far from everything...

But basically you don´t go to airports or train stations to walk around, right? Most of all, either you hope your transportation won´t be delayed or you wish to see the people you´re waiting for to arrive as soon as possible so that you can move on and do whatever you plan to do elsewhere.

So here´s the thing: sit in a cafeteria or restaurant, order something that may take long to be eaten or prepared and eat slowly. Coffees are a good alternative but you just can´t spend much time ´drinking´a coffee and do not even think about sitting there without ordering anything! Most probably someone from the place will invite you to either consume or...leave. Obviously this situation gets worse in case of long waiting times after these places close down.

These are the facts.

What to do?

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