Who is your role model?

A Role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be imitated by others. This person should act as a teacher; someone who sets an example through their behavior and values. Sometimes we learn by imitation. We look around for somebody who is doing what we want to do in a way that we admire or at least accept. And then we take that person as an example to follow. It’s always that person that touches our lives, be it through a movie or a song that portrays our life. When our life is touched, we consciously decide to learn more about the person. Eventually, and unconsciously, we begin to mold our behaviors and attitudes toward that person. But your role-model doesn’t always have to be a movie or music star. They can be people you actually know and respect; people who love you and want to nurture and help you grow into a respectable person. A role model can be your friends and family, your colleagues and collaborators, a model can be someone you actually know. According 17 – year- old Rogers Muntu his father is his role model. “He is the most ethical, up-right man I know. My father isn’t some distant figure, cooked up by the media, his someone I can look up to and learn from,” Muntu explains. Having role a role model who is a movie star or singer is not a bad thing but some teens get obsessed with them so much that, consciously or unconsciously, adjust their attitudes and decisions to match that of the role models. It’s also important to realize that if our role models are people we actually know and love, then the likelihood of being encouraged to do things that are negative not only to others but to ourselves is lowered. martin.bishop18@yahoo.com