Is there anyone you try to emulate in your life, or career? Is there someone you consider to be an example of excellence?
Mine is the Virgin Mary. I admire her patience, compassion, kindness, and enduring faith. When I say faith, I mean her unwillingness to give in to despair, to give up hope. I also admire Leonardo DaVinci for his boundless curiosity and creativity. And Desmond Tutu for the way he marries his intelligence with his faith.
Realistically? A pot-head. Not realistically? I’d like to be able to focus and do work I find interesting, and get a lot of booty. Total fantasy? Euler & Gauss, plus gettin’ a lot of booty.
I wouldn’t call him an idol, as I don’t have the talents or drive to emulate him in any way, but I consider Sir Richard Francis Burton to be history’s most exceptional intellect. If I could choose to live any life on earth, in any time, it would be his.
He completed travels in the nineteenth century that would be astonishing even in this era of mechanized travel. He was the first Westerner to enter Mecca and Medina and accurately record his experiences. He was an expert on falconry, fencing, military tactics and linguistics. He was responsible for the definitive translations of The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra, and authored dozens of his own travel narratives.
I have always wished I had a facility with languages and he spoke nearly forty fluently, most self taught. This included such disparate languages as Hindi, Portugeuse, Farsi and Icelandic. I speak a little French and Haitian Creole, I have a ways to go.
I don’t actually know about him being my idol, but the person I admire the most is my soon-to-be ex-husband. He’s by far one of the best humans I’ve ever encountered (or ever will, for that matter), who tries the hardest to do the right thing no matter what, is caring and patient, loving, honest, intelligent, witty, loyal, searching and incredibly sweet. Not to mention, he gave me the finest support possible while I’ve dealt with a host of problems that have derailed our marriage, life and finances.
He truly is awesome and I wish him only the greatest things in his future. I can only hope he’ll some day meet someone who’ll be really perfect for him and will give him all of everything he so richly deserves. The sun, moon and stars wouldn’t ever be enough.
I really admire geniuses like Einstein and Stephen Hawking (I don’t know many geniuses). To be able to think so abstractly and universally is awesome, and a sense of humor to boot makes them dually gifted.
I also admire business kingpins like Bill Gates. Some of their media might not be 100% ethical at times, but their tenacious motive to flourish is truly courageous and admirable. In the same respect, Napoleon, Alexander the Great (I think that’s him, it’s been a while since Western Civ. class) are also inspiring.
To be a bit more practical, I admire my dad. He was raised by my grandfather (an Italian immigrant) and grandmother. My dad did well in school and ended up receiving a PhD in chemistry, all funded by my Grandpa who worked in several factories. Right now, my dad seems to live wonderfully. A nice house in a nice area, a safe job, ability to provide everything two children would ever need/want. He’s a well-rounded individual, something I strive to be (hence this website).
The late great Joe Williams for me. If only I could be one-tenth as suave and sophisticated and earthy and funny, and oh yeah, could sing like him too.
Jim Henson. For several reasons, one being that he got to do what he loved for his entire life. I envy that.
And he affected the lives and childhood development of so many. There aren’t many people around my age who can say that their childhood wasn’t touched by Jim Henson.
I don’t really idolize famous people that I’ve never met - since, for all I know, if I ever met them they might turn out to be real jerks.
But I do have respect for the persistence and strength of people who have achieved great things despite (or maybe because of?) a rough start in life, like Dr. Ben Carson. His story is very inspiring and I like how he tries to reach out to today’s youngsters.
I really admire her intelligence and will-power. For the 45 years she was in power, british economy flourished, and while Spain and France were rather aggresive, she managed to keep them off and Britain out war.
