Mother Teresa, my hero - Essay Example

February 2 2, Mother Teresa, my hero A hero, as defined in the dictionary is someone admired for courage, nobility, or exploits, esp. in war, or any person admired for her qualities or achievements and is regarded as a model. (Websters New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. 1999). This definition aptly describes Mother Teresa because of her qualities and achievements in life. She is one of our modern day heroes. Mother Teresa is my hero because she was courageous and brave, but not necessarily in war.

She was courageous enough to fight the war on poverty, sickness and ignorance among the poor. She is my hero due to her sincere dedication to devote her life to help the poor in Calcutta. As a child, she never knew she would be a nun, but she was always fascinated with the works of missionaries. As Gutzman, Joan, a biographer who wrote about her life said, Mother Teresa is shy and quiet, a strong and independent lady. She is portrayed as someone “who is always on her own person, startlingly independent, obedient, yet challenging some preconceived notions and expectations.

Her own life story includes many illustrations of her willingness to listen to and follow her own conscience, even when it seemed to contradict what was expected” (Gutzman, Joan). Mother Teresa could be regarded as a model and a moral leader because she lived a life of excellence; she motivated a lot of girls to enter into her congregation, followed her vocation, and a lot of people to support her mission. She became a model to the poor as she chose to serve the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa came from a well to do family but thru her vocation she preferred to live in simplicity and poverty.

She was a nurse and a teacher who never grew tired of serving the poor. She thought of teaching the poor children from scratches. She used a stick and wrote letters from the dirt to teach children how to read. As a leader, she planted a seed that touched the hearts of many people worldwide. The seed grew into a worldwide admiration that was enough to recognize her as a one of the new day saints, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and many other achievement awards. She was neither greedy nor corrupt as she used all the money she received from various awards for her mission.

She opened up a home for the dying, an orphanage, treatment centers and hospitals for those suffering from leprosy and other disease. To date, the order she founded has 4,000 members, 697 foundations, serving 131 countries of the world. .( Guntzelman, John) All through out her life, she exhibited moral characters that are always concerned with human behavior. She had bold social convictions which emphasized the relevance of society’s issues like abortion. As she talked in different conventions, she always stressed love and the responsibility of giving until it hurts.

She always ended her discourse by telling that God must serve as ethical decisions and reasoning, then rests her case by setting God as an example by which humans live, think, act and judge their actions. Today, I could not think of anyone else who would think of doing well to anyone else to the point of sacrificing her own life, not even the politicians who swear to do good for their countrymen. Mother Teresa was a small lady but someone who owns a big heart, and it is just right that she be called a saint, not withstanding, my hero.

Reference Guntzelmam John, “Who Was Blessed Mother Teresa?” American Catholic.Org. n.d.,web. 21 February 2012 Hero definition. Websters New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. 1999 This essay is required for my application/admission into the National Honor Society. Here is the prompt: Every country has heroes and heroines. They may be political, religious, military or other leaders, but they all serve as moral leaders by whose examples we can follow in our quest to live lives of excellence.

Think about someone you know who shows moral leadership, and explain why this person should be regarded as a moral leader. Created:  2012-02-20 04:29  Deadline:   2012-02-27 02:32 Time Left:  6 days 18h 17m Style:  MLA  Language Style:   English (U.S.)  Grade:   n/a