Heroes & Miracles

Two words I think are over used. Forgive me, the following may sound cynical.

There was this plane crash on the Hudson River in NYC. A bird flew into the engine, the pilot tried to get back to the airport but couldn't, so put the plane down on the Hudson.

Let me start by saying I think it is excellent that no one was hurt and the pilot did a damn good job of getting the plane down relatively safely. Everyone came together and the passengers were quickly brought ashore.

Then they immediately start throwing around the word "miracle" and "heroes."

Let's look at the definition of "miracle":

mir-a-cle
-Noun
1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
(Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1))

A few observations: A bird is a flying animal that sometimes has the ill-fate or poor-foresight of being sucked into plane engines, which can cause damage to said plane. Gravity is the natural force that makes things like broken airplanes fall from the sky. A pilot is a human being with (all things being equal) complete control of all of the plane's controls, and it is his actions that guide the plane to the best of his and the plane's ability. So, I'm pretty sure we can explain this event in terms of existing physical and human powers.

I would call it perfect execution on the pilot's behalf and a number of favorable conditions. I would call it a text-book example of what can happen and what should be done when those things happen.

This is only one example, but hardly a miracle. They want to call this pilot a hero, but then they go and take all his credit away by calling it a miracle--something outside the control of nature or the pilot. Can't have it both ways. The guy's a hero for overcoming the forces of nature, or it's a miracle and screw the pilot; this was God at work. Of course, we all know a halo of light and a choir of angels didn't suddenly surround this plane. In fact, it had apparently fallen from God's regard, leaving it to the pilot to save their skins.

Now let's look at "hero":

he-ro
-Noun
1. a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities.

Admittedly hard to take issue with because this pilot did have the good sense to put his skill into a water-landing instead of plowing into some houses, killing everyone.

Brave deeds? I'm pretty sure the plane was coming down no matter what and he happened to be the person entrusted not to kill everyone if he could manage it. No choice but to put training, hope, and prayer into making the contact of airplane on water as gentle as possible. Noble qualities? Ok, he had the intelligence, training, and focus to execute the above with aplomb. Beyond that, we don't know, though I'm sure he's a nice guy. Distinguished courage? I hope all pilots have the same training and gumption--afterall, they're maneuvering something many tons very quickly through mid-air with a number of people who value their lives dependent upon it--and if I should be in such an emergency I'd hate to have one that screams, covers his eyes, and yells, "We're all gonna die!"

But let me make it clear: I have only praise for the training, intelligence, and focus for this pilot, who, despite gravity, did a wonderful job of using the plane's controls to make a survivable impact between plane and water.

A hero to me, though, is someone who goes above and beyond, someone with the courage to decide to enter danger for some truly altruistic or super-human act. I question whether someone (and this pilot is just an example) can be a hero simply for doing their job--for doing what is expected of them.

And if a deed is not one's job, then I question whether someone can be a hero simply for doing what every human being ought do for another. Is someone a hero for returning a lost wallet? For stopping to help an old woman with a flat tire? For carrying a disabled person down a flight of stairs in a fire? I should hope any good human would do such a thing.

That being said, would that every plane, if natural forces demand it crash, do so with so little consequence, and that every pilot in such a situation has the skill to match that of former fighter-pilot and crisis-management student Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III.