Yesterday I saw the following NPR article entitled: “When a hero lets us down.” The article about the fall of Lance Armstrong and our own disappointment, is a testament to cluelessness. The article asked in so many words, “What are we to do now that another sports hero has let us down? How are we to put the broken pieces of our world back together?” It’s like an immature man or woman who goes after trophy lovers and can’t figure out why love keeps disappointing them. If there is any chance of ending such pain it is for the person in question to spot our own immature thinking.

Lance Armstrong’s work for a cancer cure is a wonderful thing, but consider the fact that many in our nation made a hero out of someone for the capacity to pump his legs better than anyone else. How is it that people who make the most money or throw the most touchdowns end up as our guides for living? If it turns out our heroes are caught cheating, can we blame them for the fact that we were worshipping the winners of a children’s game in the first place?

“Pity the country that needs a hero” -Bertolt Brecht

 

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/24/160006508/lance-armstrong-when-a-hero-lets-us-down?sc=17&f=1001