I've been thinking a lot about heroes lately. In a time when behaving badly seems to be the norm, who do we have to look up to? Who inspires us to be better? Not celebrities or politicians, and certainly not captains of industry.
In past eras, we've looked to these sectors to find our heroes - people we admired and wanted to emulate. Sadly, heroes seem to be sorely lacking in these times of greed, self-centeredness and shock value. But they aren't really. Our heroes aren't people who are in the news and tabloids every day. If you dig a little deeper, you'll see quiet heroes on the front lines making a difference.
Kathy Freston was my first hero in the vegan world - in her positive, non-judgemental way, she showed me why my conscience would no longer allow me to eat fish or dairy (I was already a "pescatarian"). Drs. T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn are taking a scientific and medical approach to educating the public about the health benefits of a plant-based diet. People like Kris Carr, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the "Skinny Bitch" ladies and a host of others are writing and blogging about veganism.
Then there are the heroes in the animal welfare world. Gene Bauer of Farm Sanctuary is king among my heroes for all he does for exploited animals in the factory farming world, and the founders and volunteers at The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita, CA renew my belief in the goodness of people. Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society and Jane Goodall, who is still fighting for the rights of chimps are also people to be emulated and admired.
It's true that the mainstream media carries almost nothing but stories of people behaving badly. But if you look a little deeper and refocus your vision, you'll see the frontlines of everyday heroes making a difference for the animals and all of us.
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