Face to Face Matters

It’s sunny in Perth today. Just here for the weekend, but I made sure to meet up with Joel, who you may remember from this very newsletter. It’s always easier to not put in the effort (in any situation). But life is improved when you do.

I could have just headed to the hotel to iron out the kinks from a four hour flight and ordered room service. For me, that’s always a last resort. If I’m going to a new city, I reach out. Seeing people charges my battery. We had great food, great chat, and great memories - especially as we were both in Michigan a year ago, today.

When teaching about heroism through the non-bystander lens, I usually say something like, “It’s always easier to do nothing”. The status quo is effortless to maintain. Doing something when someone needs you is an effort. Thus, it’s important to practice that choice as often as possible.

Face to face really matters. I could tell you that occasionally receiving messages from Joel was keeping our relationship strong, but that’s not true for number of reasons. Not least of which is due to him never actually sending messages. As many of the HIP crew were reminded last month, being together in a physical space is powerful.

In person, ideas can elevate quicker. In person, smiles mean more. In person, you can build a tribe.

The Heroic Imagination Project will be running a HIP Summit again in 2024. Let me know if you’d like it to be near you. We’ve got a lead in France, but we’re open to suggestions and bribery.

News & Views

An interesting paper that is a massive review of the literature finds that the best predictors of pro-social behaviour are:

1. social value orientation

2. proneness to feel guilt

3. humility/honesty

Download the paper here.

“I would never wish on anyone to see what I saw.”

A Bedouin man, Youssef Ziadna saved 30 people after an attack on a rave as part of the Hamas attacks on Israel. We regularly explain during hero trainings that we don’t wish an act of heroism on anyone because it means things have gone poorly. Link here.

"In that moment, you didn't know what was wrong," Gray said. "I think a mother instinct - and a teacher and a coach instinct kicked in — like you have to check on this kid."

Looping back to the beginning of this email. Heroic action is often about doing something instead of nothing. Nothing is easier, so building a heroic instinct can make the difference. Link for the story of CPR.

That’s it for this week. I’m going for a walk around Perth and seeing the Matildas play soccer this afternoon. Make sure you get outside today. If possible, do it with someone else. Face to face matters.