Turn the Key

Why is it that we raise some on pedestals
  that far surpass their very real humanity?

What is this need to assign larger-than-life
  attributes to these people?

We each can name those whom
  we esteem above all others.
  From my own life experience,
  I would name
  Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa,
  Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela,
  Siddhartha Guatama Buddha...

Please know that these thoughts,
  in no way,
  are meant to disrespect these people.
  In fact, I feel a deep reverence and gratitude for
  the messages they brought to us all.

They are heroes to me.
  They inspire me to seek that
  within myself which can strive to live
  the wisdom they taught.

But I, like so many others,
  feel compelled to ascribe to them
  more than the mere humanity
  that defines us all.

I want them to be more than human,
  to be divine in some way...

This drive to set these people apart
  is what I question.

Why, I wonder, do I/we have this need?

I realize I can't answer that question
  for anyone other than myself.
  I think, I want to know there is more
  than what the drab and sometimes frightening
  everyday life experience offers,
  that there are beings who, somehow,
  can rise above the challenges
  that so frequently drive me to my knees.
  I want to know that there is hope for the simple
  likes of me.

These people fill a void in myself,
  answer the demons inside who whisper
  my failings, my ineptitude, my inability
  to rise above that which I see in the mirror.

Perhaps, if I can never be more than I am,
  I can venerate these people,
  see in them and in their lives,
  that which I can never envision for myself.

And that may,
  just may,
  give me peace.

I recognize, however,
  an error in that logic, those emotions.
  And in not questioning this error, I believe
  that I disrespect one of the critical lessons
  these people brought for me.

It is this.
  These people were human.
  They were plagued with their own demons,
  just like me.
  They struggled with life events,
  just like me.
  They lived day-to-day,
  just like me.

But, more importantly,
  rather MOST importantly,
  I believe that through their living
  as real human beings,
  they demonstrated
  that 'mere mortals' can reach
  incredible heights
  of human development.

This gift is for all of us,
  not just a select few.

This gift is for
  ALL
  of us.

Who am I...really?
  What is the highest, most developed,
  being into which I can grow
  in this lifetime?

Who are you...really?
  What is the highest, most developed,
  being into which
  you
  can grow in this lifetime?

What is the greatness that lies
  inside
  your soul,
  waiting to be born
  through your life?

Seek it,
  trust it,
  believe
  the divine resides
  in you,
  know
  that it waits for you
  to turn the key.