Today is the day you just sit back and say “How in the heck did that happen?!”

It’s hard to escape the story of the US Airways plane that went down in the Hudson River yesterday and the remarkable activity that surrounds it. The more I read and hear about it the less inclined I am to say that all of these actions were heroic. Why? Because it seems to be that everyone involved in this story was just being themselves. The version of the person that we get to see in this circumstance is probably the best they can possibly be not really a hero. Here’s what I mean.

The pilot – Chesley Sullenburger. Is it right to say that what he did was heroic? On many levels I suppose it is. I think it’s better to recognize that it takes a person who thinks ahead, is prepared and truly cares to perform at all in this type of environment. Now this is purely conjecture on my part so take it for what it’s worth. I think that this man was built for this situation. I think he took all the necessary measures to be ready “just in case” and the people that were with him on this flight were blessed that he cared enough. He didn’t just ‘pull this one out’. He was ready. He has a consulting business in fact around airline safety. Hero? Sure, call him that if you want to. I would bet he would say that he was just doing his job. Here’s the question though. Could every pilot with US Airways perform the same way he did? I doubt it. This story may have been a lot different if he wasn’t at the helm.

The crew – Heroes? Sure, use the term. I think they would rather be known as people who knew their jobs and performed them to the best of their ability in a time of crisis. The term hero is for the media and the ego. I think that many people who were trained to do this kind of work put their heads on their pillows last night finally and were satisfied that they did their jobs so well that many people were alive that night that otherwise maybe shouldn’t be.

The passengers – Heroes? You call them what you will. I think these good people went into survival mode and simply kept their cool. It’s not heroic to keep your cool. It’s right to keep your cool. Thank God for the temperament of the passengers as a whole. It was truly amazing.

The rescue workers – Is there anything else to say about rescue workers in NYC that hasn’t already been said? Many of them bristle at the idea of being a hero in a circumstance like this. I think the heroic part of their lives was the day that they filled out an application to do the kind of work they do knowing full well they wouldn’t make the kind of money that some criminal on Wall Street does but that they would be tasked with helping people on a daily basis. Now that’s a hero.

So how does this impact being a dad? What greater chance do we have to show the good in people than at a time like this? We should sit down with our kids who are old enough to understand and take advantage of a news story that we can use for the good rather than having to explain away.

Face it, regardless of what we all do for a living we are just people. We may do things that appear to be heroic but I posit that anything we do is just an extension of who we are every minute of every day. If I am a self centered egotistical SOB I may not react in a way that would be helpful to others (remember George Costanza running over women and children to escape a fire on Seinfeld?). But if we live by the Golden Rule I think that in a situation like this we may all find ourselves with no other choice but to be ‘heroic’.

Our kids need to see the world at its best because most times it doesn’t present very well. Take the opportunity to explain some things to your kids this weekend based on what happened on the Hudson River yesterday. There may not be another example of people doing what they do, at the highest level and everyone coming out OK.

By the way, I will never forget or minimize the memory of those who have laid down their lives for others while simply doing their jobs. Firefighters, police officers, good Samaritans, soldiers and all others. Happy endings aren’t always available, I know. Someday if you believe you may have a chance to speak to those who sacrificed, I bet you they would say they were doing their job, not trying to be a hero. That’s a lesson we all need to receive.