Letters from North
America
OK…..so
I missed the deadline
for getting a column out
about Christmas….I’m not
perfect. So, sue me…It’s
just as well since I
really didn’t have
anything new to say
about the holiday.
Perhaps it’s the
economy, but I’ve
noticed a severe
shortage of Christmas
cards this year, as well
as cars with real trees
tied down on top. The
cards I can understand,
it may be that more
people are mad at me
this year and just
aren’t sending out any
cards. Of course my
loving wife should have
gotten some by now,
nobody can be mad at
her.
It’s just as well that I
don’t have the time to
send you a little
holiday cheer since I’m
not finished writing
about topics that I
think we need to
discuss. I still have
four or five items of
importance (at least in
my mind) for the rest of
the year and only a
couple of weeks left
before the new year
arrives. I’ll have to
hurry.
This week I’d like to
talk about role models.
Now, before we get all
wound up over Tiger
Woods and his problems,
let’s step back and
consider a few things.
First off, why is it in
this country we seem to
place so much emphasis
on the conduct of
celebrities? These
happen to be ordinary
people with sometimes
extraordinary talents,
but still they are
humans and have human
faults. Just because
someone is successful at
some sport or profession
does not automatically
make them into a
flawless super human
being capable of being
everything to everyone.
Certainly what Mr. Woods
did or does tends to
change our opinion of
him. However I guess my
question is this…did we
set our expectations too
high for him or look too
distant for a role
model? By role model I
am referring to someone
we admire or whose
activities and
principles our kids
would want to emulate.
By Wood’s activities
being ‘too distant’ I’m
meaning that Woods or
other celebrities or
leaders are not in the
range of our everyday
relationships. It’s fine
for someone to become
president or make it big
in business, but how
close can most of us get
to that person and is
the person we read about
or see on television the
real person?
Perhaps so, perhaps not.
The media has long been
known to gloss over and
cover up flaws in famous
people. President
Roosevelt was crippled
by polio yet it wasn’t
widely reported in the
news. I could list many
more along these lines,
but the point is simply
this: The role models we
need to follow (in my
humble opinion) are the
ones closest to us. Next
door to us, across the
street, in our churches
and in our own homes.
The teachers in our
schools, firemen,
doctors, police officers
and last but certainly
not least… ourselves. We
need to be the role
models for our kids, our
family as well as
ourselves. We need to
live lives that are
examples to others, not
look to some superstar
living on the other side
of the world who may
have a dark side which
is never seen.
Being a role model for
someone is hard work and
requires a commitment to
strive to do the proper
and correct things in
our everyday life.
Someone once told me
that your character is
determined by what you
do when no one else can
see you. The famous
people we read about in
the news or other media
outlets are just
that….people. No
different from you and
me. They may have money
and fame, but do they
have character?
If money was the
benchmark for character,
why do so many wealthy
people seem to have so
many divorces or
substance abuse issues?
No, character is built
from the inside out, not
the other way around. In
order for role models to
be established and
maintained in our
society, they must start
with ourselves and those
we can communicate with
in our circle of
relationships. What I do
as a human being has an
effect upon you as do
your actions upon me. We
need to keep this in
mind as we go into
another year and always
remember there is
someone out there, both
young and old who is
probably counting on us
to point the way for
them to succeed in their
lives. We cannot nor
should not choose to
ignore this awesome
responsibility.
Comments go to
pperry@austin.rr.com
