I spent my morning climbing a concrete stairwell — 50 flights of steps –with a lanyard around my neck containing the name and photo of Peter Langone.
I never knew Peter personally, or even heard of him until today, but he was a firefighter with NYFD Engine 252 that responded to the terrorist attacks on September 11, and he never returned home.
It was a humbling experience to walk in his honor for a short time. I didn’t wear all of the gear or carry an ax, and I wasn’t battling smoke or flames; but climbing that dark, hot stairwell reminded me of the strength it takes to be a hero.
Of course going into a burning building to save the lives of people you’ve never met is bold and brave, but it’s quiet too. Every day for 15 years Peter quietly went about the work of fighting fires and saving lives. He just happened to be there when a massive catastrophe took place, and he kept on doing the work.
The world needs more quiet heroes.The kind of heroes who don’t care about the color, faith, or political leaning of the person standing before them, only seeing the person — a fellow human — in need. They don’t act out of a desire to be recognized, but out of a duty to humanity.
It’s great when we can get behind a megaphone for the things that matter deeply to us, but there are a lot of megaphones in the world today… And the messages are not always uplifting.
It’s the quiet, selfless actions that matter now more than ever. And those take a lot of strength.
Maybe it’s hypocritical to be posting this, but sometimes we just need a reminder: that our fellow humans need us to act with kindness and generosity, that it takes strength to focus on hope and positivity, and that the most impactful work is rarely the loudest.
This week I heard so much upsetting news, and I imagined lots of ways to respond, but in the end I decided to take inspiration from Peter and all of the other heroes who do their jobs faithfully.
I volunteered at the school, I sent a card to a friend, I made food for a group of military spouses, and I taught a free yoga class. It didn’t feel very heroic, but that’s not the point.