INVITATION TO HEROISM

Paul Pinegar, a member of the I-I President’s Circle, is currently working on the concept of second tier heroism. In his words:

“Heroism has been a sizzling topic since 9/11. Heroes touch us in our bones even when we haven't been scared down to our marrow. But our heroes often fall far short of what we need to inspire us—think Kobe Bryant. This chasm between what we need to inspire us and the heroes we have can create huge dissonance, a dissonance we can use to create movement among our audiences.

"I recently convinced the San Diego Psychological Association to begin a Local Hero Award, based on an integral model for heroism. Fred Carson, our first honoree, is an amazing Pied Piper, fearless in forgotten, violence-prone dark corners of San Diego. In just over a year, he has reconnected 4,000 fathers to their families and schools. He both acknowledges inner life (upper left) and puts public health issues in a context (upper right, connected to lower left and right).

"I am currently working on a more integral model of heroism, using Spiral Dynamics, and my own levels of heroes:

"Red blooded heroism: lower levels, think firemen at 9/11. Red Blooded heroes are brave, strong, will fight for what's right, but have little inner life.

"Pale blooded heroism: middle levels, think Bill Gates for orange and Ralph Nader for green. Pale Blooded heroes are more in their heads, physically flat, but may be more reflective.

"Full blooded integral heroism: higher levels, second tier, think Nelson Mandela. Full Blooded heroes combine physical awareness and presence, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual awareness, with a broader view of the landscape.”

Paul invites visitors to pass input and their own hero stories to: www.paulpinegarphd.com.