“Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.”
Those words, from the poem called A Psalm To Life, were written by a renowned poet and storyteller. It is clear that leaving behind footprints implies leaving a good example, a trail for future generations to follow. He even emphasizes how essential those footprints are to others. “Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing over life's solemn main, a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.”
The poet's words capture the essence of what a role model is. In simple terms, and according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, a role model is a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated. That means there’s something commendable in their actions, something worth imitating. Unfortunately, stories told today seem to be devoid of genuine virtues necessary to uphold human societies. They mostly focus on qualities like the desire for recognition. How then can we use stories for good?
The stories that we tell today can leave models and tracks for others to follow. As the poet put it, sometimes we lose heart in life, we become shipwrecked metaphorically. But when we hear of others who faced similar challenges and pulled through, people of integrity and commendable actions, we also can take heart and get back on our feet, ready to fight the good fight of life.
This lesson, the ancients from every culture and background have known. From the obscure folklore and fables of every culture, we can note how models have been built. Each story contained a moral and a hero whose actions were noble and enviable. But heroes do not necessarily have to be some beings whose powers surpass the normal. This is where real-life stories come to be of utmost importance.
Everyone, whether an adult or a child, needs something to aspire to. Caught up in the struggles and vicissitudes of everyday life, it is easy to lose hope, throw in the towel, and walk away. We hear a lot of phrases that promote a defeatist attitude towards life. We are constantly bombarded with headlines that kill all the spirit in us and no one seems to be eager to report the heroic acts of ordinary life.
Yet there are stories, hidden and mostly unknown, that show how others are striving for virtue and high ideals. There are people, whether of our time or before our time, whose stories inspire and incite to action, people who really left a mark on the world. When we hear of the selfless nature of people like Mother Theresa or Florence Nightingale, we see how much each of the efforts count in the lives of others. We get to know about how much a real act of pure altruism can make a hero out of someone. You do not have to jump into fires or kill a sphinx to be a hero. And such stories, passed from generation to generation, can raise acts of virtue, promoting a model for others to follow.
When told sincerely and without exaggerated embellishments, everyday stories of everyday people inspire others. They mostly show that it does not matter your background or your class in life. They show that commendable acts of courage, valor, integrity come in different forms. We have stories of the seemingly quiet Rosa Parks who managed to stand firm for her own rights to spiritual leaders, revolutionaries, and other great men who fought for human rights and against slavery. These are models across the scale of what makes people great in life, people who dared to challenge the status quo, and rejected conformity to detestable deeds. These stories inspire us today to live such a gloriously aspiring life, a fulfilling life in other words.
Depending on what moral or what quality we need to inspire and instill in others, we have real-life examples from everyday life. Stories of the importance of qualities like honesty, tolerance, courage, integrity, love, and peace are needed more than ever. We live in a period of polarized cultures and views. People, through the stories we tell, need to know that they too can rise above their baser qualities and achieve great deeds, no matter their walk of life. They need to know that even unnoticed, their deeds can go a long way in making the world a better place for everyone.
“When you are dead, Seek for your resting place not in the earth, but in the hearts of men.” The Persian poet Rumi understood how our great deeds can immortalize us, leaving a legacy for generations to come. Stories told about other people can map a good track in the jungle of life. Let us continue telling compelling, authentic stories. And let us also try to write our own story by the way we lead our lives. Only when we lead by example do we show others how much good and courage there is in the world. In conclusion, let us follow the advice given by Mark Twain: “Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry.”
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