Growing up, I didn’t have anyone that I could call a “role model”. My father wasn’t around. My mom was busy working to pay the bills and take care of three kids. There was no adult around to guide me on how to live properly. I was a shy kid with no one to encourage me—no one to instill courage into me. Not only was I not a brave kid, but I was unaware of the importance of virtues such as courage.
Up until about twelve, I was a quiet and reserved kid. I found solace in fantasy books and nature books. All of my free time after school was spent reading. Because of this, all of the adults called me smart, which I clung to. Every book I read was a version of Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”—and so they all had a character who would find a mentor. Something that was missing from my life. How could I find a mentor?
We have not even to risk the adventure alone
for the heroes of all time have gone before us.
The labyrinth is thoroughly known …
we have only to follow the thread of the hero path.
And where we had thought to find an abomination
we shall find a God.
Joseph Campbell
Finding a mentor is becoming more and more difficult. Apprenticeships have become a rarity and true wisdom is hard to come by. However, the wisdom of the past is still available to us through books, poetry, and art—and through these mediums we can find a mentor.
History is filled with great men and women with admirable traits to model ourselves after. The courage of Roman soldiers, The endurance of Holocaust survivors. The love of religious teachers. Any virtue worth having can be found in individuals from the past. Though your father is not Marcus Aurelius, you can still look to his guidance in his writings.
Even fictional stories can contain characters worth imitating. One might try to follow in the footsteps of Jay Gatsby or Homer’s Odysseus. Admirable characters can be found in literature, movies, or even TV shows.
Once we have found great people from history and admirable characters from fiction, we will realize something. Many of them are deeply flawed. We find that Martin Luther King was depressed and had multiple affairs during his marriage. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. Steve Jobs was an asshole with a temper. However, if you are waiting for a perfect person to gain wisdom from, you will be waiting a long time.
As a kid I had no one to model my life after. There was no one heroic in my life and no one to give me advice. I found my heroes in the books I read. I was given advice by some of the wisest men and women who have ever lived.
TheSisyphusBlog 