What can I do? What should I do? What is the right behavior—right now? How do we instill in our society heroes who respond responsibly in the here and now, not just through a Facebook or Twitter post? The science of epigenetics, which studies the environmental factors that affect our DNA, does give us some clues. And it comes down to tiny acts of enlightened heroic behavior. We need heroes! Everyday heroes! We need to have our children see us adults act as heroes every day. Even little tiny acts of heroism help. Soto Zen master Shunryu Suzuki taught, “There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity.” Only when adults (parents, teachers, all of us) act with virtue and character in an enlightened way can those characteristics grow in the soul of our society, and most importantly, the soul of a child. Children learn by example—and so do we adults! Master Suzuki’s teaching is borne out in science. Science tells us we can reconfigure a person’s DNA through environmental factors and by activating those bits of the brain that respond to emotional im …