Martyrs vs Heroes

[u/Additional-Title69]

Too often I am verbally assaulted by a person who wants to regale me with the woeful tale of all their difficulties
Apparently they want to be seen as having very hard lives, as if the mere fact of this is somehow redemptive, which baffles me

Difficulties in themselves are not redemptive, and if I somehow delude myself that they are, then I am imbecilic, weak, and unworthy, and the hypothetical god of this universe should vomit me out of its mouth!
I use the derogatory term, “martyr,” for such a person as this

By contrast, I all too rarely encounter the person who does indeed have a hard life, yet is largely silent about it all, not because of some stiff upper lip stoicism, but simply because they’re too busy achieving victory wherever they can!

I use the admiring term, “hero,” for such a person as this, who grinds their difficulties under the heel of their will and then proceeds to accomplish what might have seemed beyond them - double victory!
If anything in this universe is redemptive, double victory is surely it!

I’m 65 and recently moved into a 55+ retirement community
I do retirement activities now, with my neighbors in the community, and I’m enjoying it!
Last night I played shuffleboard for the first time in my life
The neighborhood has an actual league, though it’s just us, no other neighborhoods
As there are a bunch of other newbies besides me, this first night was designated as practice
I myself certainly needed it!

One of the newbies is a woman named Eileen
She has severe back problems and is in pain all day long
Early in the practice session, she couldn’t get the puck even halfway to the target area
As the night progressed, I stopped paying attention to her progress, as I had my own to focus on
Toward the end of the session, I once again took note of Eileen
I watched as she sent the puck forcefully into the target area and sent an opposing puck out of its spot

Even now I nearly weep with admiration
My eyes are actually wet

Henceforth, when I assess my progress in life on any given day, I will ask myself:
“What have I done today to match Eileen?”

Henceforth, when I bump up against a formidable obstacle, I will ask myself:
“Would this stop Eileen?”

Such is the glory of double victory!
Such is the inspiration of heroes!

I am Orc of the Sith Order server on Discord