Over time, I began to idolize real heroes: astronauts striving to reach the moon, doctors creating vaccines to save millions of people. Political leaders protesting for the rights of those who were underrepresented. Political leaders forming governments where the people had a voice. Medal-winning soldiers returning from Korea and later from Vietnam. Athletes who pushed beyond their limits. Mountaineers climbing higher, divers diving deeper, sailors traveling farther and exploring the unknown. Visionaries working to clean the atmosphere, save the oceans, and protect fragile ecosystems. I admired each of these remarkable men and women, but deep down I knew I was not like them at all. They were smarter, stronger, and braver. They possessed all those qualities I lacked. They had superpowers that I simply did not have. That’s why they were heroes and why they were the only ones who could save the world.

But I was wrong. In 1977, I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and joined the United States Navy Special Operations Group. Over the next thirty-seven years, I traveled around the world. I saw the worst face of humanity: war and destruction, disease and poverty, cruelty and indifference. The world is full of problems, seemingly difficult, unsolvable, painful problems! But also, during these thirty-seven years, I saw the best version of the human species. Men and women seeking peace, rebuilding nations, curing diseases, and lifting the poor out of poverty.