101 Great Goals has a roundup of press on the Hand of Gaul today.  The summary is that Thierry Henry could have owned up, but that the normal thing to do in this sport (maybe any sport) is to cheat until the referee spots it.  This is exactly the kind of environment in which a hero stands up.

Some quotes from their post:

“Thierry Henry is a liar and a cheat. He is also a footballer, and he stands out from his fellow professionals as a sheep stands out in a flock of sheep. It is a a fact of life — footballers cheat. Their duty, as they see it, is not to obey the rules but to do what is best for the team. If a footballer can get away with something that helps the team, he is duty-bound to do the dirty deed. That is the morality of 21st-century professional football.”

“Why you, Thierry? Why you of all people? You always stood for something purer in the polluted world of football. You sent ‘good luck’ texts to rivals like Steven Gerrard. You sought out Frank Lampard after one Chelsea-Arsenal tear-up, wishing him great joy with impending fatherhood. You played the game with style and a smile. So why cheat? … What is truly dispiriting about this skulduggery at the Stade de Fraud is that the perpetrator was Henry, an individual admired within an oft-criticised game for possessing principles. Until Wednesday.”

“You are the captain of France, the country that gave us the World Cup, and here you had the chance to show us what sport can mean – or, at least, what we tell our children it means.”

This argument that players should cheat until the referee spots it was a large issue in cricket not too long ago, and still boils under the surface.  This attitude is prevalent in sports, but also in life.  Imagine what the financial world would look like if cheating until you’re caught was not the standard.  The fact is, sports, and the way they’re played, influence those who watch.  If there are no morals in sports, there will be no morals in society.

This is not the way to play a sport.  It is not the way to live life.

Thierry Henry fell from grace an hour ago as he deliberately used his hand to help score a goal for France in the dying minutes of an elimination game against Ireland for World Cup qualification.

Henry has been held in high esteem by many in the soccer world (including me) for his grace, his fairness, and his efforts to fight bigotry in the world game.  However, there is no denying he deliberately used his hand (and forearm) to keep the ball in play before passing it to William Gallas for the winning goal.

I can understand reflex taking over in a situation like this.  However, once the handball happened, it was time for a hero or villain to act.  Henry chose to say nothing, the unfortunately typical human response in such situations.  He had an opportunity to show the world what sportsmanship is.  He failed and, in doing so, further sullied the reputation of this sport.

John Crichton: “I can’t be your kind of hero.”

Crichton Snr.:  “No, you can’t.  But each man gets to be his own kind of hero.”

It is this exchange in the first episode that could be used to describe the difference between these two science fiction TV series.  That difference is down to the difference between the main characters.  They are their own kind of hero, though truly, only one of them is heroic.

Mal Reynolds captains the Serenity in “Firefly”. He is a part time smuggler whose character seems lifted completely from Han Solo.

John Crichton is an American astronaut who enters a different part of space through a wormhole.  He lands close to the Moya and joins its crew of outsiders.

As I’ve hinted, I believe the main difference between the two is the character of the hero of each story.  I use the term hero for “main character” in this case.  The problem, of course, is that only one is heroic.

Reynolds is the very definition of a self-centred person.  His actions and words demonstrate this throughout.  His first concern in every situation is himself.  There are certainly numerous times that he does the right thing, but each occurrence simply coincides with Reynolds looking out for number one.  If your well-being helps him, then he’s your hero.  If not, sorry.

Crichton arrives in a generally immoral environment.  He refuses to let it compromise his morals.  He knows what’s right and he risks his safety and standing to defend it.  He abhors random violence.  He rejects bigotry.  If you need someone to help you, this is your guy.

I stopped watching Firefly after four or five episodes because its hero had nothing to offer me.  I love Han Solo as much as the next guy, but Solo changed in his hero’s journey.  He learned to care for others and rely on others.  I’m watching Farscape on Netflix and I’m in for the long haul.  Every episode has a lesson, not just snark.

This is a guest post from Ari Kohen, assistant professor at University of Nebraska – Lincoln.  I met him through Twitter a long time ago after he was discussing heroism.  He is currently working on a book-length project, The Moral Hero and the Mortal Hero, as well as articles on both restorative justice and the death penalty.  You can read his bio here and his blog here.

In my new book project, I make the argument that the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is meant to stand as an example of heroism on par with more traditional heroes like Achilles and Odysseus from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

And yet, in so many ways, Socrates seems to be the central figure in a cautionary tale that fathers might present to their sons: he is often chastised for speaking about nonsense, debating in an inane manner, and being ironic. Even more obviously, he is put on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens and is eventually executed by his fellow citizens. Given these critiques, what about him might be seen as heroic or worthy of emulation?

In a paper to be published next year in Polis, I put forward an answer to this question through an exploration of the three Platonic dialogues that deal with Socrates’ trial and execution. First, Socrates attempts a defense designed to vindicate the philosophic way of life. In this, he seems to be successful, as Socrates is today highly regarded for his description of the good life and for his unwillingness to live any other sort of life, a position that is most obviously exemplified by his defense in the Apology. After his sentencing, Socrates’ arguments and actions – in the Crito and the Phaedo – also lend considerable support to the idea that the philosopher is committed to living a particularly good sort of life. While the sequence of dialogues that culminate in Socrates’ execution might seem to be the most obviously critical of the life of the philosopher, I want to argue that these dialogues actually serve to enshrine the character of Socrates as the quintessential moral hero.

Plato manages to turn the ignoble death of his mentor into a virtuous triumph for two reasons: first, he suggests that Socrates has an intimate understanding – perhaps even an appreciation – of his mortality and actively chooses to die. Second and relatedly, he demonstrates that – in choosing to give up his life – Socrates sacrifices himself for those with whom he identifies, both his friends and even the Athenians at large who seem to be his enemies. He explains his decision to several of his students in ways that set an example of proper decision-making and also encourage them to continue to see the life of the philosopher as choice-worthy. In so depicting Socrates’ trial and execution, Plato establishes his mentor as a moral hero who gives up his life to benefit others and who demonstrates that the kind of life one lives – rather than its duration – is of primary importance.

While a great many people would view Socrates’ endless questions as annoying rather than caring – and certainly most of the Athenians did – it is clear that he sees a direct connection between annoyance and care. In questioning his fellow citizens about their beliefs and commitments, Socrates believes he’s doing a great good by showing them a more virtuous path than the one they are, perhaps unknowingly, walking. As he points out, throughout the Apology, he could lead a far more comfortable life if he desisted from these activities; however, in abandoning his questioning, he would be abandoning the Athenians to lives that are devoid of wisdom and virtue. That Socrates will not abstain from philosophizing – even when continuing to do so clearly means a death sentence – is a powerful statement about how important he believes philosophy to be, both for himself and also for the Athenians more generally. His inclusion of even his enemies into the circle of those with whom he identifies sets Socrates apart from the average citizen. It is this ability to personally identify with others, and to extend to even the enemy the sort of care that would normally be reserved for family or close friends, that makes his actions – dangerous though they were in his day – morally heroic and worthy of our emulation even today.

We need heroes-in-waiting around us more than ever.  When a hero is needed are you going to do good, do bad, or do nothing?  Or whip out your phone and post photos to Twitter?

After five weeks of working on this project, I continue to get stories from people about the good things that they have started doing.   I have started to notice that there are some basic skills required to do good deeds for people every day. It is still an easy thing to do, but I feel like having a basic knowledge of some common things will help all the Heroes in Waiting out there.

I have complied the following list of the top ten things that would be helpful to you if you wanted to do a little good thing every day as well.  If you have something that you would like to add to the list, please leave it in the comments section or email me at josh@theheroconstructioncompany.com.

10)  Basic Conversation Skills -This is helpful for a couple of reasons.  Sometimes the good deed you can do is to have a conversation with someone.  Also, it can be helpful to talk to someone to find out what their needs are.

9)  Know how to jump start a car - When Kit sent me the story of helping the woman in the parking lot jump her car, I realized that this is a common problem, especially in the cold months in Michigan.  This is good to know for yourself, but also, for the others that you could help.

8)  Leave five extra minutes – Most of the things that myself and others have been doing are deeds that take less than five minutes.  I have also caught myself talking myself out of helping because I don’t have the time.  To remedy that, I have started leaving for things about five minutes early, so that I can help and still be on time.

7)  Take enjoyment in your actions – I think that one of the reasons that I have been able to keep this going every day is because I enjoy helping people, even in small ways.  If you take joy in your actions, you will be more likely to continue them.

6)  Know CPR and First Aid – I have not run in to a situation where these have been necessary, but the story from last week where Katie was required to do some basic First Aid to help someone reminded me to go get re-certified in these two lifesaving skills.

5)  Suspend Judgment – This may be one of the hardest skills to master.  Everyone will be in need of help at some time.  Everyone is pre-disposed to judgement in some form of fashion.  If you can suspend those and keep yourself open to the possibility of helping anyone, you will have a lot more opportunity to complete your good deeds.

4)  Be creative – You need to be creative.  I feel like if I fell into the habit of doing the same good deed over and over again, I would get burned out very quickly.  One of the things that I have enjoyed about this is the wide range of things that I am able to do with just a little bit of thought.

3)  Keep it simple – Most of the deeds that I do and the stories that have been sent to me are simple small things that people can do.  The point is not to do huge acts or run into burning buildings, but small ones to prepare you to for when the big opportunities present themselves.

2)  Keep track – There is an application for mobile phones that will simply keep track of how many days in a row you do something.  The claim of these is that people are more likely to keep doing something if they have record. For example say I do something for 20 days in a row, then I skip a day.  My inclination will be to want to try for 21 days in a row next time.

1)  Observe your surroundings - I have posted about this idea before, but it is important to keep your head up and your senses open when you go out into the world.  If you observe the world around you, you will notice the situations where people need you to do a little good deed for them.

There may be more things that are important, but these are the common things that I have noticed in the experiences I have had and the ones that have been shared with me.  As always, you can follow my project on twitter @littlegoodthing and be sure to check out the video explaining the project on youtube.

Hello Little Good Things Readers.  I am happy to say that this project is continuing to catch on.  I have gotten a lot of stories about people doing their own little good things in order to improve the lives of the people around them.  The following story comes from Katie in Minnesota:

This summer I fractured a bone in my foot and have been pretty inactive since. But about 2 weeks ago, I decided that it was time for me to start running again.  Its been pretty cold here in Minnesota, so I thought it would be a good idea to run inside on a treadmill at the school’s rec center.  When I arrived I found a treadmill, plugged some earphones into my Ipod, and began to run.  As I was in “the zone” I was intensely listening to the words of the songs on my playlist.  But then, I was surprised by a big boom that did not come from my Ipod.  I looked around, and noticed that another girl, who had had the same running idea i had, had fallen off her treadmill.  I waited a second, thinking she would immediately get up-probably embarrassed.  But she didn’t get up.  There was a wall just a couple of feet behind the treadmill, and she was almost pinned between the two.  Her face was laying on the machine with the belt still rotating around.  So I quickly jumped off mine and ran to shut her treadmill off.  As she sat up, I asked her if she was okay and if she needed anything.  She appeared to be okay with just a few scrapes.  Stunned about what happened and really embarrassed, she kept asking me if her face was dirty.  It was.  So I ran to the bathroom and got some wet paper towel.  She thanked me and hurriedly wiped her face.  She immediately left feeling humiliated but not injured.  Thank goodness she was okay!  I went back to my treadmill and continued with my run.  The sad part of this story is that my treadmill was about 6 machines down from hers, and that there were other people closer to her than I was.  Nobody else even seemed to flinch when she went down.  People just kept going, minding their own business.

I think that sometimes people get too wrapped up in what they’re doing to notice the needs of others.  Hopefully this story will help people to open their eyes to the people around them.

I think that Katie is right when she says that people just get wrapped up in their own world.  That is why, too often, people neglect to do something good for others.  It is not because people are inherently evil, they just do nothing.  Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good [people] to do nothing.”  What he is talking about is the same indifference that Katie illustrates in her story.

Do not be indifferent.  Stand up, take action, then share those stories with others.  You can leave a post in the comments section, or email me your story at josh@theheroconstructioncompany.com.  Also, remember to follow me twitter @littlegoodthing

The call to adventure arrives in many different ways.  For William Kamkwamba that call to adventure came when his family could not afford the yearly tuition of about $80 at his secondary school in Malawi, Africa.  William, who was fourteen at the time as therefore unable to attend school for that year.

Noticing that his village of Masitala was suffering greatly from the droughts that have affected Africa for years, William decided to take action.  He traveled to a library where he found two text books with information on building a windmill.  Using the pictures from the books as a guide, he went to work.  He collected blue gum tree sticks, bicycle parts, and other items from a local scrap yard and for the cost of about $15, build a small windmill outside his home.

Using the energy from this windmill, William was able to power two light bulbs and a radio for his family of about twenty.  In two months, William had created a windmill to give his home electricity.  However, he did not stop there.  He build a second and third windmill for his village.  One provided enough power to charge batteries, so that the village could have power even when the wind was not blowing.  The other provided power to a pump for the village well in order to provide drinking water.

William, now 21 years old, is planning more windmills for more villages across Malawi.    He persevered through hardships and criticism to create something great.  William has written a book about his experience and has toured across America and other countries to talk about his windmill and the problems in his country.  He is a real action hero.  He took action, that action was for other people, and that action involved risk and sacrifice.

I have great news.  This project is catching on.  This week I asked people to post the video on their Facebook page and it went from forty views on youtube to almost two hundred.  It seems like people are embracing the idea.  I even had someone send me a story of a good thing that they did.  This comes from Kit:

I was getting out of Meijer and on the way to my car and a lady asked If I was busy. My initial reaction was to say yes, growing up in London this kind of question leads to be being berated about religion or something else.  I took a second look around and saw that the car she was by had the hood up . I asked her how I could help, all she needed was to jump from my car, she had the jumper cables. It took maybe 2 minutes, if that, and she got home with her son safely (I hope). She was very appreciative and it definitely made me feel good and reminded me that if I was in that situation I would help someone could help me.

Kit said something that I think happens to most people.  I think that people consider it “human nature” to avoid interactions with others.  Kit said that his initial reaction when asked by this woman if he was busy was to say, “yes.”  This would have ensured that he did not have to deal with the problem.  Sometimes this is unavoidable, sometimes we really are in a hurry and do not have time.  What Kit did was important, he assessed the situation and made a decision to sacrifice some of his time to help another person.

I was excited to read this because this is one of the major reasons that I started this whole thing.  I want others to take a second, think about the people around them, and help out.  With very little effort and just a bit of time, Kit may have changed the course of that woman’s day.  Great work Kit, keep it up.

Remember that you can follow me on twitter @littlegoodthing.  Also, check out the video and spread the word I would love it if I had a new story from another person to post every week.  If you have a story you would like to share, leave it in the comments or email me at Josh@theheroconstructioncompany.com.

Today is National Blog Action Day.  This is an event that happens every October 15.  The hope of this day is to raise awareness about a single issue and discuss that issue on as many blogs as possible with the hope of stimulating world wide discussion.  This year the theme is Climate Change, so we decided to look at an Environmental Action Hero.

Due to the recent “green movement” there were a lot of people doing a lot of things in order to improve the world around us.  We chose Bill Weihl above these others for a few reasons.  He does all of the things we want Real Actions Heroes to do and he is doing it as the leader of one of the largest most profitable companies in the world – Google.

Over the past few years, Google has grown into an empire.  They are involved in everything from web searches, to cell phones, to business software, and now they are branching out into the green movement.  With Bill Wehil’s help, that branch is starting to grow at Google’s corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Using the equation RE<C (renewable energy that costs less than coal) Bill, the Google green energy czar, has transformed the physical face of Google.  Through the use of solar panels and more efficient building of its servers, Google has managed to become carbon neutral.

From there, Bill hopes to branch out to the rest of the world with his green energy ideas.  From the Time Magazine article on Bill, “To that end, Google is spreading its spare millions to start-ups like eSolar and BrightSource Energy, as well as sponsoring its own research. Right now Weihl’s engineers are focusing on solar thermal power — which uses the heat of the sun to generate electricity by boiling water to turn a turbine — and developing new mirrors that could cut the cost of such plants by a quarter or more.”

Bill is taking action, that action is for other people.  He is doing it for the good of the world.  His action takes risk, he and Google are risking millions of dollars in order to create new kinds of renewable energy.  When asked about his efforts, Bill simply says, “We want to make the world better.”