Matt Langdon is the President of the Heroic Imagination Project (HIP) and the author of The Hero Handbook. This episode describes that ways that we can develop our capacity to take risks when the world needs our help. Matt shows that it is possible to train heroes and to diminish the possibility that we will just stand by and let bad things happen. His stories of heroic action illustrate how the possibility of stepping forward can develop in all of us. 1:24 What is the Heroic Imagination Project: heroism as the antidote to evil. 4:06 Spreading the learnings of research about heroism. 5:03 Can heroes be trained? Research interviewing heroes to find out what makes a hero? Why people don’t do the thing they think they should. 7:30 What is the Hero Round Table? 8:10 What is a hero? A person who takes action on behalf of others when there is a risk or sacrifice to the person who performed the act. A sacrifice is a risk that has 100% chance of happening. 12:10 How heroes are trained – turning bystanders into potential heroes. The larger the group, the less likely people are to help and stand back. 14:20 Identifying and feeling strongly identified with a bigger group makes it more likely you will help. 17:25 How getting comfortable with being uncomfortable can increase the likelihood of being a helper. 18:35 What happens after people are trained to be heroes. How a younger girl recalls her hero training to overcoming the barrier to inaction and stand up to an older girl who is being a bully. 23:40 Training children versus training adults. How kids are more ready to try out new thing. 24:40 How imagination trains heroism. 28:30 How training in one domain relates to acting in different domains. 31:20 Empathy is a characteristic of heroes. How heroism is an act that challenges character and values in the moment. 34:20 Can society train heroes more effectively? Helping to inspire risk taking versus the bubble wrapping of children. 39:00 Slow progression toward independence and the overprotective of young people. 40:50 How to develop an inner hero. Thinking about what else could I do? 43:00 All the different ways that people think about heroism. Having your own heroes, consuming stories about heroes and unsung heroes. 45:35 Find the Heroic Imagination project. https://www.heroicimagination.org/ The Hero Round Table presents multiple ways of thinking about heroism.