Celebrating national heroes

I had dinner with my parents tonight, and while we ate and talked about how some people are inherently good, sometimes at great expense, the name of a national hero came up.

It occurred to me that, the same way I knew so little about other countries' national days, I know little about people from other countries who did amazing things. So, I thought it would be an interesting thing to share here, get to know a little bit more about people you might admire and respect and your culture, and a way to remind ourselves that yes, there is extraordinary kindness in mankind.

The hero we talked about was Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who issued visas free of charge to over 30,000 refugees escaping the Nazis, including the painter Salvador Dali.

I've always admired this man immensely. He died in poverty but, I'm sure, with a clear conscience and a full heart.