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It took me a long time to figure out the role of the hero in modern society. When knights in shining armor first appeared, their garb was supremely practical, because brigands were threatening the innocents of the land, and the knights' job was to cut them down in personal combat. The idealized gunslingers of the Old West performed the same task. Today, conflicts are won not with swords or guns but with words, ideas, and hard work. The nature of the conflict has changed: In most of the civilized world, evil no longer threatens our bodies, so we turn instead to defeating the evil inside ourselves and encouraging others to do the same... It is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are. It does not matter that we will not reach our ultimate goal. The effort itself yields its own reward... So, you think, practice makes perfect? Yes, but there's more to it than that. Everything you do gets you skill points in that activity whether you want them or..