We believe that saluting people for their great deeds motivates us to emulate such heroism, and is also the right thing to do. We take time each week to identify and salute those who inspire us. We may salute complete strangers, celebrities, those we know intimately, or even fictional characters who have inspired us. By taking the time to express gratitude for the heroism of others, we hope to create more heroism in the world.
Looking at the good
When observing the world, a person might choose to either focus on the good or the bad that they see. If a person only focuses on bad things, numerous problems will emerge: that person’s worldview will become distorted, their emotional state will be negatively effected and they will inadvertently and unintentionally learn to repeat the negative behavior that they see around them. Instead, we choose to look at the good. Many truly good things happen in the world, but to find it we must go looking for it. When we do, we become more hopeful, more joyful, and the positive behaviors we see are likely to rub off on us.
It is possible that an Aretéan may salute a controversial figure, perhaps one that you do not personally respect. If this occurs, it is important to remember that we are saluting this person only for the good actions that they have done. Even if it is hard for you, we challenge you to use this as an opportunity to practice looking at the good.