We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.

Rogers contrasts the reflex to disown obligation—shrinking one’s moral circle to “not my child…not my problem”—with an ethic of shared responsibility. The quote frames community care as an active choice: some people notice need and step toward it rather than away from it. By calling such responders “my heroes,” he elevates everyday civic and neighborly action over celebrity or power, aligning with his lifelong emphasis on empathy, protection of children, and the idea that communities are built by people who show up. The passage also implies that responsibility is collective: social problems persist when everyone waits for someone else to act.