W.W.L.H.D. -- What Would Lin Hao Do?
I’m officially adopting that as my new life motto.
For those of us who watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games, and sat through long enough to watch China enter the Bird’s Nest stadium, you likely know the story of 9-year-old Lin Hao, who is my newfound hero.
As Yao Ming carried the Chinese flag, towering over his fellow countrymen, and frankly the entire stadium, he was accompanied by a young man (and after hearing Lin Hao’s story, he most definitely can be called a man) carrying a mini version of the Chinese flag, along with a mini Olympic flag.
Then, Bob Costas explained why Lin Hao (who barely came up to Yao’s knee cap) was leading his country.
The 9-year-old was a survivor of the recent earthquakes in China, which claimed the lives of over 70,000. But Lin Hao is more than a survivor – he is a hero.
Lin Hao was at school when the quakes struck. Out of his 30 classmates, only 10 survived, including Lin Hao, who freed himself from the rubble of his fallen school.
But once free, Lin Hao didn’t run for safety.
Instead, he returned to the rubble and freed two of his classmates who were trapped.
Following the tragedy, when asked why he risked his life and went back for his friends, Lin Hao’s answer was simple and matter of fact – not because they asked for his help; not because he wanted to be a hero.
Because he was one of his “classroom leaders.”
That’s it – plain and simple.
“I was the hall monitor, it was my job to look after my classmates,” Lin Hao said aftewards.
It’s been awhile since I was inspired to blog about something – a humble thanks to Lin Hao for providing an inspiration that extends far beyond my words on this page.
