Whatever Happened to All of The Heroes?

People becoming hopelessly addicted to drink and drugs. People driving cars into swimming pools. People riding motorbikes through hotel corridors. And we celebrate these guys? Of course they can write an amazing line; brilliant music. Simply, they can make us 'feel'. They are an escape. Most of us aspire to having good looks, seemingly eternal youth and of course, pots and pots of cash. However, I am a big believer that the stars we see on the screens are not real people. They are mere screen characters twisted and created for our viewing pleasure. Let's face it, most of them wouldn't survive in our world. The real world. Take Rock God Jim Morrison. Great lyricist, great singer, great frontman. Maybe my favourite rockstar. Hopelessly drunk and addicted to an array of drugs. Slept with any passing girl. Dead at 26. In the real world he would simply be shunned, or even a candidate for the Jeremy Kyle Show. I'd like to see people's reaction to him when they saw him staggering down the street clad in gyrating leather pants letching after the women. Hmmm.

The same can be said for Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards. Without his skills on the guitar he would be another social misfit, doomed to the gutter, rejected by society. We all know what I'm talking about so I don't need to carry on naming troubled stars. The point I'm trying to make is that we celebrate these so called geniuses as heroes. But where are the real heroes? Well let me tell you that they are walking amongst us. They are indeed, us. Simply turning up for work day in, day out for 45-50 years is an act to be proud of. That metronomic alarm, shower, breakfast, work home, chores, bed! Basically dedicating your life to your work, whether you like it or not. I always think of the more difficult jobs. Particularly the cleaners. It is a job that often goes unnoticed, people only draw attention to the work if something has been missed. However I believe how clean a premises are can say alot about the business. 

Think of the harassed parent who somehow manages to juggle their own job, dealing with the children and their activities and run the house at the same time. I have two children of my own, plus work, and I don't know how some people manage to fit everything in. All I can say is that they can't have any time for themselves. This would be fair enough once in a while, but all the can and it becomes demanding and even impossible. Think also of the owner of a small to medium sized company. Yes they could be on a decent wage, with a nice house and car. But they are often the first there in the morning, and the last to leave at night. They can't switch off when they get home in the evenings. They are cheerful through gritted teeth to difficult employees, whilst also working their arses off to keep those difficult employees in a job! They are paying for the Christmas parties, yet listening to people 'telling them exactly what they think of them' and managing to keep it all in check. 

I like the old phrase 'beware of false prophets'. Let's start celebrating the real heroes. The people who make things happen. The people who keep the wheels turning. The people who go the extra mile. The people who take pride in their work. The people who are forgotten. The people who keep going. The people who give their all. The people like us.