This is Hideaki Akaiwa. When the tsunami of March 2011 hit Japan, he was at work. Once he determined that his wife of 20 years remained trapped in their home, he found a wetsuit and hurried toward her. But in order to do that, he had to defy authorities and experts, who demanded that everyone wait for the army to show up.

Hideaki had to take enormous risks (it was night at this time), but he found his wife, trapped in their home and with very little air remaining. He pulled her to safety. A few days later, when he verified that his mother was still missing, he did the same thing and saved her as well.

One lesson to draw from this is that authority always demands what is best for authority, not what is best for you and your family. But more importantly, we see that heroism is available to all humans, not to some particular type. This man was a 43 year-old doctor.

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Before returning to the mundane, consider that everyone you pass today has within them the capacity to be a hero. Humans are just that way. Yes, some of us have impediments, almost every person you’ll see has it in them somewhere. See if you can help someone recognize that part of themselves.