As an 8 year old McRaven was in New York City with his dad. During their trip McRaven continually looked to the sky hoping to see Superman. His dad asked him if what he was looking for and McRaven finally admitted that he wanted to see Superman. His dad pointed out a police officer and stated that was a hero.
McRaven notes “If you can have an epiphany at eight years old, well then, this was mine. If Superman wasn’t real, then who was going to save the world? If Superman or Batman or Spider-Man weren’t coming, then how would we stop the criminals, the Nazis, the Soviets, the aliens from outer space, and all the violence and destruction? The answer was clear. It was up to us.”
McRaven became a navy seal and spent 37 years in the Navy. He states: “ I came to realize that there is a hero in all of us. There is an innate code that has been there since the birth of mankind. It is written in our DNA.” He notes that each of us can work on developing our character so that we can develop the attributes that heroes have.
The book is a series of short stories that highlight each attribute in the hero code. This is a quick read and can be finished in day. The goal of the book is to encourage each of us to be better than we are today.
Some of the attributes that make up the hero code are courage, integrity, compassion, hope, and forgiveness. Here is one line of the hero code: “I will learn to SACRIFICE by giving a little of my time, my talent, and my treasure to those in need.”
Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Hefei, China Thursday 6:00AM
The rising sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. The darkness of night was about to give way to the light of day. The sleeping city would soon be bustling with activity completely unaware of what had occurred while it slept.
Zhao Kai stood outside a small warehouse looking building. For all of the modernization that had been occurring in China this building had been skipped. At least on the outside. It appeared old and nearly abandoned but the inside told a different story. Before Kai entered the building he glanced at the rising sun. This was his favorite moment of the day. The blinding light of the sun was a weapon that he used literally.
On numerous occasions he would take a prisoner to a spot where there was an unobstructed view of the rising sun. Then he would bind them in such a way that they had to stare directly into the sun. If he did his job right they would not be able to close their eyes and would return to their prison cells blinded for life. If he didn’t just kill them. That punishment would not be on the table today but perhaps tomorrow. He liked ...
