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Heroes can be next door

Sometimes we forget how many good people there are in the world. Then we read about someone like Charles Ramsey.

Ramsey, 43, is the man who played the key role in freeing three women from about a decade of captivity at a house in Cleveland. His comments during interviews have made it clear he is, well, a fairly typical kind of fellow except, perhaps, for his composure on camera.

That may well be why Ramsey seems to have become something of a hero – simply because he is so candid and average-appearing. He is a reminder that, even when some risk is involved, most people try to do the right thing – to get involved.

Ramsey – and some of his neighbors – have said they are disturbed they did not notice previously that something was wrong at the house where the women were being held. That, of course, is more evidence Ramsey and his neighbors are good people.

Asked in one interview about how he feels about what he did, Ramsey said, “There is no feeling. You do what you’ve got to do.”

Lots of people very much like Charles Ramsey feel that way.

He reminds us that sometimes, heroes can be right next door.

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