Not social media influencers, nor Hollywood stars, nor other entertainers created, manipulated and moulded to grab our short attention spans and push agendas that change our behaviour (I was shocked the first time I read that phrase, 'behaviour change', and remain so. It seems to be a legitimate marketing tactic now but it enrages me, I don't need my behaviour changed thank you very much and definitely not by you!)
We need people of high moral values, with integrity, well-ordered priorities and social intelligence for our kids, and ourselves, to aspire to be more like.
This is an old story but a good one, despite knowing that it was almost certainly massaged just a little for social media!
The Kenyan runner, Abel Mutai, was a few metres from the finish line in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre when he became confused and pulled up, thinking he had crossed the line. The Spanish runner Ivan Fernandez was behind him and shouted at Abel to keep running but Abel didn't understand Spanish. Rather than taking advantage of the situation and running past Abel to claim victory, Ivan gestured for Abel to keep going and stayed behind him, pushing him over the finish line.
A journalist asked Ivan, "Why did you do that?" Ivan replied, "My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win".
The journalist insisted, "But why did you let the Kenyan win?" Ivan replied, "I didn't let him win, he was going to win. The race was his". The journalist insisted again, "But you could have won!" Ivan looked at him and replied, "But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honour in that medal? What would my mother think of that?"
Values are passed on from generation to generation. Great people help build others up, they don't take advantage of another's weaknesses. Victories must be earned, not just won else they are hollow. Great societies are built by hard work, inspiration and perseverance.
“You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.”
–Alan Alda