They live among us.
They are old friends, they are the neighbors across the hall, they sit beside us on the bus, and they are our partners.
We have grown used to their smile, to the fact that they never complain.
We have grown used to them being there for us, ready to give everything and ask for nothing in return.
We have grown used to thinking of them as ordinary people.
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But if there is one thing we have learned in recent months, it is that when the moment of truth arrives, they are true heroes.
They threw themselves on a grenade to save someone else.
They fought to their last breath to protect their friends.
They sat exposed in the living room, facing the terrorists, so that their family members could hide.
They pleaded for the lives of those they loved, while they themselves were in no less danger.
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If there is one thing to carry with us from the stories of heroism we encounter in the news during this time, it is the fact that we need to cherish the good people around us while they are still here among us.
Even if we will never hear it from them, they too sometimes wait for our hug, our love, or our smile — and being there for them is our privilege.
They deserve it.