*Jonathan
By Dan Amor
All over the world, people choose their heroes
for different reasons. Some designate legendary creatures from every
historical epoch and every field, such as Christopher Columbus, Florence
Nightingale, Joan of Arc, Louis Pasteur, Alfred Nobel or even Napoleon
Bonaparte. Yet, there are also those who believe that some heroes are unknown
to the general public, their heroic deeds unrecognized but far from
insignificant. These heroes include school aides, foster parents, security and
medical personnel-all kinds of people who struggle, often against daunting
odds, to make life better for others. As Victor Hugo said: "Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are
battlefields which have their heroes; obscure heroes, sometimes greater than
illustrious heroes".
In choosing former President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan as the reigning King of African Democracy, a successor to the famous
Nelson Mandela of South
Africa, this writer believes that, like
every other hero, he is a human being, with everything that it implies. I also
believe that recognizing a hero-warts and all-makes it possible to become a
hero and to encourage others to do the same.
