WHAT, You Don't Have A Role Model ?

Most people have their role models. Fortunately or unfortunately I dont have any. I have often wondered what would I answer in an interview if ever asked this awkward question. But what do I do if I really dont have one. I have often heard politicians and people of repute lamenting on the fact that the younger generation doesnt have any role models to guide them. So, is that something to worry about? In my opinion - A BIG NO.

You grow up watching so many people, young and old, rich and poor, benevolent and malevolent, happy and sad and people from all spheres of life. You also probably get a chance to come in contact with them or atleast with a few of them. You read about great men from the past, about men who strove tirelessly for the betterment of society, about men who made giant leaps in the field of science and technology and also about great men who are still doing all this and much more. And during this process you develop your likings and dislikings. You suddenly start realizing that you have always hated that person or for that matter another person was always your best friend. And the person you start hating has the most repugnant, presumptuous and contemptible behaviour ever known to mankind, irrespective of his/her good qualities. Not surprisingly, the person you start liking has the most agreeable, congenial and loving attitude and you tend to overlook his/her less than agreeable qualities. But through writing all this what am I driving at?

In my last post I wrote that we run after money. Funnily enough and ironically our choice of role models is also influenced by money. You read a real-life rags to riches story and all of a sudden its protaganist becomes your role model. Would you have given the same status to that person had he come straight out of a real-life riches to rags story. You think your role model is some great sportsperson, say a famous cricketer or a hugely successful tennis player but the question is: why are they your role models? Because they are famous and successful and consequentially they are rich also. You want to emulate their success because you yourself want to be rich. You would certainly not give the same privelege to a street player who might be as good a cricket or tennis player as the professional ones. Now you would ask, if he is so good at his game then why hasn't he been able to become a professional and again rich and famous. To this I would say, not everybody in this world is given the same opportunity or favorable circumstances, which would enable him/her to reach to the top. And ofcourse if everybody reached the top, who would remain at the bottom?

So, we are back to square one. Money, money and money. Select your role models according to their wealth and market value.

I am talking about role models. What are role models? They are just as human as I am! The only difference being they have done things which I could not do and I dont even hope to do. The fact is I dont even want to do. Infact, why should I? Most people usually have one role model and in some cases they might have more than one also. In my case, the whole world is my role model. Every person I come in contact with instantly becomes my role model. Reason: I try to take all the good qualities from the other person and try to inculcate them within my behaviour and I discard all the bad points. I know I am sounding utopian but I know I am far from being perfect.

Au Revoir