The Thing Is

A lot has been made of Randy Pausch. You may have heard of him. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon university who was to give the annual last lecture to the students and faculty. Because he was so popular and it was so well attended, they taped his lecture and then posted it on the internet for any students and faculty who missed it in person. It was a big hit on the net because after giving his philosophy of life, he announced that he was doing this lecture for his kids because he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Over 10 million people viewed his lecture on the net and he was interviewed by Diane Sawyer and his lecture was expanded and published as a book.
Now I am not saying that he did not have a good viewpoint or attitude or didn't have something to offer us as we approach the struggles of life. I am also sure that he was a great husband ,dad and human being. But the thing is he had a good life. He was smart and had a good education, married the woman of his dreams and had a lucrative and satisfying academic career.
How come the media never shows us the courage of the underprivileged and downtrodden in this society? Why some Wasp college professor and not some elderly African American lady raising her grandchildren in a crime infested neighborhood? That is my real hero. The person who has the deck stacked against him or her and reaches beyond their limitations to find the truth and good in themselves to overcome for the benefit of someone else. That is a true hero.