As I sit here in the afterglow of a Superbowl win by the New England Patriots, my seven year old son stated that Tom Brady was a hero of his.  I thought that maybe he was high on Tom Brady because of their 4th SuperBowl win and decided to pursue the conversation.  When I asked him why Tom Brady was his hero, as expected, he stated that Brady was his hero because of his accomplishments on the field.  But do you know what if anything he does off the field?  He stated, no and that he didn’t care.  Remember, he’s seven.  Then, he asked me why U2, more importantly Bono was a hero of mine.  “All they do is sing songs”, he stated….remember, he’s seven.  Most of my family, friends and students know that I am a die hard U2 fan and I can almost guarantee you, that they believe the same thing as my seven year old, that U2/Bono is one of my heroes because they sing songs I like .  Well,  I’m here to set the record straight.

U2’s music has always been secondary to me.  Always.  Bono is a hero of mine because of what he does off the stage.  I think Bono’s humanitarian efforts worldwide have had a much bigger impact than any song U2 has ever sung.  What he has done with The One Campaign, RED, Sarajevo and Africa is much more important to me than 22 Grammy Awards or a bazillion records sold.

Bono has often said that celebrity is currency and he has used his in the truest giving fashion.  Rather than simple donations or the occasional show where funds are dedicated to the cause du jour, he has mobilized millions to get involved and to become better people through community and global involvement.

“Josephine, be careful of small men with big ideas,” unless those big ideas are worthy of your attention…..and Bono’s ideas are worth our attention.

So to my son Christian, yes Bono is one of daddy’s hero, but it’s not because of his songs, it’s because of what he does for others.  I hope to instill these values and beliefs in to you, as well.