There once was a man who sailed a ship around the world by himself. He did it as a personal challenge. His mission was a success and as a result became the first person to ever accomplish such a feat. For the rest of his life he was regarded as a hero.

There once was another man who also attempted to sail around the world by himself. This man wanted to do it faster than the first man. He too did it as a personal challenge, but he also desired the heroic status of the first man. This man made it half way around the world before becoming ship wrecked. Fortunately a search and rescue team was able to find him while battling stormy weather which put them in as much danger as the ship wrecked sailor. The search and rescue team was able to get the man and themselves home safely.

The sailor never received the glory he had hoped for, but was still regarded as an inspiration for his efforts. Not much was said about the search and rescue team.

. . .

The world needs heroes, especially the unsung ones. Heroes not only save lives, they give us hope for a better future. They maintain our faith in humanity, in the face of many reasons we might lose faith.