Oops! We had to remove the hero profile you’re looking for because it will soon appear in our new book Heroic Leadership: An Influence Taxonomy of 100 Exceptional Individuals, to be published by Routledge in 2013.
Our contract at Routledge required us to remove many of our profiles on our blog at this time. But we do have other hero profiles and information about heroes on the menu bar located on the right side of this page. Check it out!
In the mean time, please accept our apologies. Here is more information about our new book.
You can click here to return to our HERO home page. And thanks for visiting!
— Scott Allison and George Goethals
Imagine being responsible for saving 800 lives. This woman is just further proof that as deep as the evil can go in some people, there is always a greater goodness in our species. People commit acts of evil for selfish reasons; for power or money, to be accepted, to avoid repercussions, to satisfy angry or sadistic impulses, or just because they are weak; but those who act in the defense of others do so at the risk of their own lives, at the cost of their own wealth or standing in society– they gain nothing but satisfaction and sometimes lose everything. This is how we know that humanity deserves to survive and will someday reach heights that we can only dream of today.
What I found truly remarkable about Ten Boom’s story was her ability to forgive that camp guard. It takes an extremely selfless and strong person to be able to do something of that magnitude. I am not sure I would have had the strength to forgive after what she had been through. I believe her strength is what made her a hero and inspiration.