Issue 241 Inspiring People January 2, 2014

What constitutes an inspiring person? Why should we follow there example? Well, I have wondered why people admire others like actors and other people who appear to be in positions of authority, power, or wealth. However, I questioned the very notion of admiring those people as a whole. Surely these people are not that worthy of admiration such as the Kardashian sisters or Paris Hilton who gets by on looks? Or is there something else at there core that is actually truly notable that should be emulated?

Decisions: We can look at people like a puzzle, but each piece is unique in the fact that one part may be worthy of praise while the others we may look on in disgust. As such, I personally look at individuals (or at least try my very best to) view them based on their actions. Let us take Nelson Mandela for example. He was an avid communist, and in his youth was violent. However, when he was released from prison he did something important. Mandela made the decision to change South Africa through non-violence. I will always disagree with communism as a whole due to how it always devolves into tyranny and dictatorship, but I can still admire Mandela for the hope he brought to the South African people. He is worthy of praise because he renounced violence and that he brought people together for the sake of freedom. As people go, Mandela is inspiring because he demonstrated that a single person can make a difference. So I will cleanly say that Mandela is worthy of imitation with respect to the example of people being able to make a difference, but I will not say to admire his politics.

Admire and scorn: Just like Mandela we can admire and be inspired by one part of the person, but still abhor the other part. Look at the Kardashian sisters as an example. They came to fame through sex tapes and pornography rather than hard work (they may argue that though). However, after they gained that attention they used it to their advantage to create a clothing line and host television shows. So the part you can admire is that they used the capitalist system to take advantage of their fame, the fortune they made from it and their ingenuity for designing cloths. The rest you can still look at with scorn. Love them or hate them, they set an example on how to run a successful business.

Conclusion: All people in power are like this. You can admire their message like the President Obama’s hope and change, their ideas, or their deeds, but you do not have to emulate the whole individual. No one has to copy the Presidents politics to believe in the hope and change message, or Nelson Mandela's communist beliefs to copy his example of one man making a difference. Each person has pieces of themselves that are worth admiring or emulating, and equally so parts that are worth learning what not to do. So do not let your view of someone be clouded by one simple wrong, but look at the actions and deeds of that individual. Use the teachings of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. and look at the person character and with that see what is worth admiring in each and every individual.