While there are many ways to learn, we often find that the amount of knowledge or advice, good or bad, that we gather from those we look up to is somewhat discounted or dismissed, though it should not be, because it is often quite influential. This is why it is incumbent upon society to desire to see that there are good role models for those growing up to aspire to emulate, because when there are no good role models, those who are impressionable are going to end up emulating undesirable characteristics, which is not good for society and not good for their person.
Regrettably, as much as we might want to believe that America is fully integrated and of which all are equally treated and thereby equal under the law, this isn’t true at all. Rather, we live in enclaves in which some of those enclaves have an abundance of the accouterments that represent success and of which there is also an abundance of opportunity, counseling, and often good role models to lean upon; whereas, on the other hand we also have those enclaves of poverty, lack, and hopelessness, in which the amount of good role models to be found in those places is not only limited, but when found, these role models may only be around for a limited time before they move on to somewhere else, more accommodating and positive for them.
Indeed, those that do not see or are unable to find successful role models in their community are going to be hard pressed to be successful, or as successful as they could be, mainly because it is hard to believe in something, and even harder to believe in yourself, when there doesn’t appear to be anyone else of your age bracket, or your complexion, or your creed, that is a paragon of virtue and orthodox success within that community. This is why it is so important to provide those who have so little with representatives of people that look like them, and have also come from a similar background, for these adolescents to respect and to desire thereby to emulate, for without these role models, it’s hard to break out of the mold that confines people to something unbecoming of their innate ability and potential.
We find that while there are plenty of people who have a generic belief that they can indeed be something of merit, they need help, though, in overcoming their unbelief, mainly because they lack positive role models to lean on and learn from. This is why society needs to look carefully at communities and see where they can be an ever-present help in trouble, by deliberately making it their point to take the brightest and best amongst them, and doing their good part to help them in the achieving of success, so that these future community role models can become the foundation for others of the same ilk, to look up to, with the sure knowledge that because it has been done before, they too can do the very same, if not even better.