Why The World Needs Heroes

By Jonathan Aquino

"I always remind myself that I'm a spiritual being having a physical existence, which I learned from Wayne Dyer, and not the other way around as I used to. I practice a form of Zen meditation called mindfulness, which I learned from Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, where my senses are heightened as I focus and become fully aware of the present moment, or what Deepak Chopra calls the Now..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonathan Aquino
• Release date: Mar 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310804540

Jonathan Aquino

Jonathan Aquino is the author of Fisherboy, A Wonderful World, A Celebration of Life and The Way To Inner Peace. His stories, essays, articles, poetry and special reports have appeared in various major publications. His Saturday night blog 2Rivers.blogspot.com is about music and individual self expression. His plays have aired on national radio in the Philippines. Jonathan's philosophy is summed up in Ralph Waldo Emerson's On Self-Reliance: “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages."

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Why The World Needs Heroes

Inspirational, Radical and Paranormal Essays

I always remind myself that I'm a spiritual being having a physical existence, which I learned from Wayne Dyer, and not the other way around as I used to. I practice a form of Zen meditation called mindfulness, which I learned from Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, where my senses are heightened as I focus and become fully aware of the present moment, or what Deepak Chopra calls the Now. ~ Finding Wisdom Everywhere

I learned that having a mentor or a role model gives you the strength to become even better than who you are. I found both in the excellence guru Brian Tracy. He's also gone through a lot of life, traveling and working various jobs, the same kind of coming of age adventure where you find your true mettle and your place in this world. ~ The Art of Excellence

We are now beginning to understand a miniscule fraction of the miracle that is life. The defects in clones are caused by the irregular timing and pattern of their methyl molecules as these attach to their DNA during development. This explains why the first cloned goat in 2000 died of impaired lung formation. ~ Clones Are Humans Two: The Moral Dimension of Cloning

Freedom, argued Webster, is man’s birthright. It is what gives life its deepest significance. The ideal of freedom summons the noble side of humanity. His summation reminds us all of who we are and what we are here for. Evil backed down, defeated by eternal truths. What Webster thundered was true, we all know them to be true, because our heart of hearts know them to be true. Truth sets us free, all of us, even the damned. ~ Should the Web Be Netted? The Case Againsts Facebook Libels

In the middle of the night, an elderly woman named Daria came suddenly awake. She was bathed in cold sweat, chills running up and down her spine. She could have sworn she heard her eight- year old daughter Ana, crying for help as if in great agony. The words remained distinct in her mind: Mama, Mama, help me! It’s so dark in here! I can’t breathe! Please take me away! ~ True Pinoy Angel and Ghost Stories

Why The World Needs Heroes

Inspirational, Radical and Paranormal Essays

By Jonathan Aquino

Copyright 2015 Jonathan Aquino

Smashwords Edition

Book 1

The Inspirational

Why The World Needs Heroes

Finding Wisdom Everywhere

The Art of Excellence

Testaments In Solitude

The Majesty of The Spoken Word

Prayer and Poetry

How Was The Past Year?

My Beautiful April Fool

Book 2

The Tribute

Michael Jackson: Gone Too Soon

Why The World Needs Ramon Magsaysay

What I Admire Most About Francis Magalona

The Times and Triumphs of Ramon Avanceña

The League Of Extraordinary Filipino Gentlemen

Book3

The Unpublished

Simplifying My Life

The 7 Laws of Attracting Good Luck

Magic Juice: The Incredible Healing Powers of Virgin Coconut

Teaching Kids To Be Independent

Book 4

The Radical

Clones Are Humans Two: The Moral Dimension of Cloning

Should We Resurrect The Death Penalty?

Should the Web Be Netted? The Case Againsts Facebook Libels

Was The Media To Blame For The August 23 Hostage Bloodbath?

The Case Againts Parliamentarism

Are Overseas Workers Really Contributing To The Brain Drain?

The Perfection Of The Working Man

Don't Blink: How To Win An Election You Lost and Get Away With It

Was Jesus Divine?

Would You Commit Euthanasia?

Book 5

The Paranormal

Confessions Of A Semi-Sort Of Warlock

Superstition: Revelations After The 2010 All Saints' Day

True Pinoy Angel and Ghost Stories

Book 1

The Inspirational

Why The World Needs Heroes

After the darkness comes the light. After the doubts comes the wisdom. After the catharsis comes transcendence. But in the beginning was the still, small voice. Being in a position of influence means having the moral obligation to use that influence for the greater good. We may possess the freedom of choice, but we also bear the responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the most brilliant minds in history, counseled that even our inactions can change the world. Thus, everything we do or fail to do is woven into the fabric of the cosmos, checked and balanced by the laws of the universe, which governs us all.

Oskar Schindler’s life was like a Shakespearean tragedy. He was a worldly man, an industrialist who loved wine, women and all the things that money can buy. He has prospered through his connections with an evil person surrounded by Rasputins corrupted by absolute power. He lived in a time when the State is prostituting his country’s honor.

But destiny moves in mysterious ways. In the end, he has found redemption, joining the ranks of those who stood up for their new-found convictions – no matter how others have magnified his imperfections – and history has vindicated and immortalized him. For Oskar Schindler used his influence to save the lives of over a thousand Jewish men, women and children. Using his own resources, he bought their freedom and gave them sanctuary from the genocidal horrors unleashed by the Nazis.

As a businessman under a brutal and rapacious regime, who doesn’t have the power to admonish them to moderate their greed, he has learned to compromise with the Powers-That-Be. He has to be practical to survive. After all, he hasn’t the authority to pose the questions he doesn’t dare ask to those he doesn’t dare question. As a human being, however, he must face the ultimate test – the one true path to greatness – the struggle between his primal instinct for self-preservation, and the deadly sting of his conscience.

He is a hero.

But a hero is not a saint.

Heroism is not the absence of frailties, but its conquest. Human nature is such that perfection is impossible. A hero, in essence, is a flawed being who has raised himself to more than he can be. He has battled his personal demons and he has survived, his pride unviolated. His character may be assassinated by cowards, but his soul is at peace. Steven Spielberg’s greatest legacy is the masterwork Schindler’s List, the epic saga of a common man who lived an uncommon life.

Oskar Schindler’s story deserves to be heard, now more than ever, for he is a hero in the truest sense; and we need heroes because only they can summon the nobility and inherent goodness in each and every one of us. Schindler’s List is a celebration of the human spirit, affirming that Good, after all is said and done, always triumphs over Evil.

Finding Wisdom Everywhere

My view of life is expressed in Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World, my favorite song of all time.

I have steadfastly refused to have a mentality of competition, the kind of Darwinian struggle against a multitude of rivals in a hostile world. That's why I never liked the song You and Me Against The World.

My mindset is the complete opposite. I now try to find harmony with the universe, letting its energy flow through me so I can be a channel of goodwill and a beacon of hope to those whose repressed animosity tore them inside and left them bitter and alienated.

It all begins with the mind, with how you choose to see the world. There is so much beauty all around us, and like in the Tavares song Hardcore Poetry, if you cannot the see the good around you, it's only because you choose not to.

I choose to see the true and the good, finding comfort that, like in the song I Believe, we are all connected-and we are not alone.

I feel