We Need More Gyros

A Gyro is a delicious Greek sandwich sometimes pronounced like the word "hero."

Not only does the world need more delicious Greek sandwiches (what is it with the recent popularity of Greek yogurt and now Greek yogurt in cereal...? A bid to help their economy...?) but we definitely need more Heroes.

We have practically none at the moment.

Especially in the world of sports.  Especially at the Tour de France level of competition.  Especially with people named Lance.

Give me a break.  I watched his interview with the over-celebrated and much-hyped Oprah Winfrey.  It seemed to me that he was hedging.  It didn't seem genuine.  It seemed calculated.  It seemed phony.

Maybe I'm naïve but it feels as though we had more heroism in years gone by, in "The Greatest Generation", as Tom Brokaw put it.

Men volunteered to go to war.  People dropped out of school to work supporting their families.  Men opened doors and children said "Please" and "Thank you" and "May I?"

We seem to have lost the ability to think outside of ourselves and are left with only self-absorption and ego-centricity.

Enough is never enough.  More bandwith, more speed, more caffeine.  Bigger, better, FASTER!!

And no one seems to be willing to make the sacrifices that were made in generations past.  We go to war on credit cards, don't want to see the dead bodies and get fat watching endless hours of mindless "Reality" television.  Do we really need to watch a half hour devoted to brassieres or celebrity dysfunction when our children are dying in deserts, "Over There?"

We are a population of takers, not givers.  Spare me the tired rhetoric about Doctors Without Borders and the soup kitchens and shelters that dot our cities. 

Those are a rare few individuals who understand the concept of giving for its' own sake.  Loving and caring for our fellow travellers with no expectation of monetary reward.

We celebrate Bill Clinton's ability to make millions on speaking tours but don't spend much time celebrating Jimmy Carter's Habitat efforts.

And when was the last time you heard about a millionaire sports star stopping long enough to shake an adoring fan's hand, let alone give a kid's mitt an autograph (I wonder how he's doing, Ol' Mitt.  Wasn't at the Inaugural.  Hmmmm.  Sore loser?  Couldn't afford a tux?)?

They are too concerned with royalties and "security" for that.  What they forget is that without the kid they are nothing and without the kid growing up to be an overpriced ticket buying adult they'll be asking not "where's my trailer" but "want fries with that?"  And "security?" What?  Is the fan gonna hug the guy to death?  Come on!  Most of these athletes can bench press most of these fans (maybe not the "potatoes" but at least the kids...) so where's the threat?

Heroism.  Giving of yourself and expecting nothing in return.  Not just giving of your life and limb but giving inspiration and example, love and respect.

A sandwich without tzatziki or lamb is not a Gyro.

A person without humility or courage not a Hero.

He's just on the cover of a box of Wheaties, which we all know is junk food...full of sugar but lacking in real nutritional value.