As a child of the sixties, I grew up bombarded with the message that everybody should “be somebody”. Since every boy could become President, every child should grow up to be president of something. Probably took it way too seriously, but it made me an unhappy overachiever, trying to buy approval with “success.” After a nervous breakdown, several life-changes and a long recovery, I realised that not only will I never be a hero, I don’t have to be one. What a relief. I can just be me, and live. Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do is survive.
As a child of the sixties, I grew up bombarded with the message that everybody should “be somebody”. Since every boy could become President, every child should grow up to be president of something. Probably took it way too seriously, but it made me an unhappy overachiever, trying to buy approval with “success.” After a nervous breakdown, several life-changes and a long recovery, I realised that not only will I never be a hero, I don’t have to be one. What a relief. I can just be me, and live. Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do is survive.