Author: Antonio R.
As human beings, social influences create our identities. We learn through observations, behaviors, attitudes, and systems which guide our actions. This is why it is essential to have a role model in your life. I know, it sounds very cliche, but it is the truth. Having a positive role model can help steer you in the direction you want to go. Role models are not necessarily celebrities and/or historical figures whom we idolize. They are the unsung heroes in our daily lives who push us to do and be our best. They have thankless jobs, yet their responsibilities can not be taken lightly. Our role models are often scrutinized, daily, because they’re under close watch and should they make a mistake, then we who look on perceive failure. The role models in our communities are not missing, they’re being judged. People who are positively impacting our lives are not necessarily the people we aspire to be. We dream of fast money and stardom that in some ways can not be obtained. We often do not realize that some of the individuals on our T.V. screens, for instance, are personas: they are images. In spite of this knowledge, they continue to be hugely influential. No matter what they may do—good, bad, or different—we have an unwavering support and tolerance for their commercialized propaganda.
So I beg the questions: When will we look to the elders, the strong men, who built families and unified communities as our role models? When will we filter through the facades and see the naked truth of these role models we glorify? This is not to accuse individuals who have obtained fame, this is more so a wake up call to my fellow brothers that seem to be in a slumber, thinking that their reality is in materialistic, tangible outcomes. Find a role model who challenges you and moves you outside your comfort zone. Find a role model who embodies the principles that reflect humanity, not self-hate. Find a role model in a person who can teach you something you do not know. It is only through reinforcement that we become the people who we want to be.