GREATNESS

One of this blog’s main topics is “greatness”. One of life’s goals for every one of us should be to be great at something. Greatness has many definitions, and the one that most describes my vision is “being such in an extreme or notable degree”. Today, I want to recognize the truly great human beings that are on the front lines every day in the war against the COVID-19 virus. These men and women do not hesitate putting their own lives at risk to save others, and that unselfishness and driving desire to help others is what makes them great. This exclusive list includes the nurses, doctors, first responders, police, National Guard, personal protective equipment (PPE) providers, and many others that are in direct daily contact with potentially contagious individuals that could infect them. THANK YOU for being great and saving the lives of so many infected people! The list of people that can say they “save lives” is a short one, and you deserve praise for being at the top of that list.

The key words in the definition above are “extreme or notable degree”, and these descriptors hint at the extraordinary efforts that are needed to distinguish one’s talents or abilities from the general masses. Essentially, few other people have the bravery, compassion and skills that you do. You are modern day warriors that battle in arguably the most “extreme” and potentially lethal environment where the enemy cannot be detected. Your calling to help others in need, while risking your own personal safety is truly admirable. You are great providers of life saving treatments and products and stand out above all others as the shining examples of compassion and caring for others, i.e. in a “notable degree.”

When I watch the nurses, doctors and police in action, or read about your heroic (and sometimes tragic) stories, the word greatness comes to mind. You are truly great men and women that deserve the utmost praise. As a society, we are constantly looking for role models to emulate and other examples of devout behaviors to admire. All of you fill that void that sometimes we lose sight of in today’s crazy world. My very first blog post last week was to set up the mission and purpose of my website, and I wanted to use my second writing to express my sincere gratitude to every one of you that works 12+ hour shifts, fights through mental and physical fatigue, misses your loved ones at home and puts your own health at risk to help others in their desperate time of need. I wish I could offer all of you more than just words, but for now that will have to suffice. If I were more like you, I would probably sacrifice my own time, money and body to help each of you. Well, that is exactly why all of you are so “great” at unselfishly helping others. You do so much more than just say a few words. Never stop being great because the world needs you now more than ever.