Thread: Tell me about your role models/idol (people you admire)

Why are there no replies? I posted this to hear about other role models/admirers not just to share mine..

It could be three things:
1. Everyone on this forum is super amazing and excellent and does not need one.
2. Everyone is too arrogant/ignorant/lazy to have a role model because they don't have the guts to live up to their ideals.
3. No one ever read this simply because this forum is so big.. Which means I'm just waisting my time again

SO WHICH ONE IS IT?!?!

the first one:

1. Everyone on this forum is super amazing and excellent and does not need one.

1. I look up to stevie wonder because he is an amazing song writer and singer. I recommend his album "the secret life of plants"
2. I look up to Andy Kaufman because he was one of the most unique and gifted comedians/entertainers.
3. I look up to James Horner because he's my favorite movie score composer. I recommend his work on Last Samurai and Braveheart.

Ok, here are mine. Those are the characters/people that influenced my life the most and you could say they made me who I am today:

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Davey Havok - Man! The energy! Since I'm a hardcore singer myself, this is the person I look up to as to what I could be able to achieve (except for throat surgery.. eww!! ). He also brought me to such music in the first place.

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Eckhart Tolle - This guy made me realize that there are other ways to live your life than to be stuck in numbness all the time and how easy it is to see the world from a completely different perspective.

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Cloud Strife - From a little brat to a grown up "warrior" in no time ! I think I'm not alone in this, right .

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Billie Joe Armstrong, Y'know? - Changed my life more than anyone else, ever. I would be a completely different person in every way if it wasn't for him and his band.

Billy Joe Strife and Jamal, thanks I read a quote somewhere that said something like 'When you admire something it becomes part of you', it's pretty cool isn't it?

I hope to become something between Andy Kaufman and Aleister Crowley.

Jeff Buckley - because he is infinite. Also because he saved my life. And because he taught me how to sing.

John Mayer - because of how human he is, and because he taught me how to play guitar.

And my Dad. He's awesome.

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At first I just looked up to him but.
...well I'm essentially Captain Jack Sparrow

Originally Posted by Narwhal

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At first I just looked up to him but.
...well I'm essentially Captain Jack Sparrow

Your avatar is literally the biggest dick in the history of manga. I just wanted to say that. Hehe.

Originally Posted by Leanbb

Your avatar is literally the biggest dick in the history of manga. I just wanted to say that. Hehe.

I think Kei Kurono is a bigger dick though, or even Hajime Muroto all killing bums with baseball bats for no reason and such :p

I've always thought that the problem with role models is that, if you're trying to imitate someone else, you will ultimately fail by definition. If nothing else, you'll lack their independence and originality, since the person someone might call their 'idol' likely never tried to imitate someone else. I've usually seen it like, if you want to strive to be an amazing person, come up with positive traits that you already have and work hard to perfect them. Then, you'll be your own person, completely unheard of before yourself and original.

I have considered recently though that people who have idols may not actually aspire to be exactly like their idol - only take certain traits from their idols and aspire to perfect those traits as much as their idol has, while still maintaining their own originality and even differing form their role model.

The following is something I don't believe I've ever announced outside of my own mind because it's a bit embarrassing, and something I didn't even realize to be true consciously until recently. I still don't think I have a role model, but lately the person who inspires me hasn't been a person at all, but a game character - Lara Croft. I've played the Tomb Raider games since I was 9 years old and have always had a lot of respect for her. It's hard to describe, but she's the only character I've ever felt that idolization feeling toward. It isn't just idolization - it's like I identify with her on some deep level. Playing the games, especially the most recent one, puts my mind into this strange place, it really digs into me deeply for some reason, and I feel more motivated than I could be by anything else. Even though realistically I don't have 1% of her awesomeness. No other person or character has given me this feeling.

I really do hate my personality sometimes, but whenever I do try to improve it in little ways, it's always to become more like her's. Calm, rational, genuinely polite and dignified. The last two are the ones that I lack in person, as I'm somewhat cold. I never intend to be 'mean', but my personality turns out like that because I'm so terrible socially. I also admire that she really loves what she does, and is good at it, even though it's nothing close to what I do. She isn't doing it so that people look up to her, she isn't doing it for the money or to be famous, etc. She's only doing it because she enjoys it and is deeply curious about archaeology, or because she's trying to fight for something good. That's something I try to strive for as well. Not caring what people think of me, and doing things for enjoyment. And of course, I'm sure the fact that she's hot and desirable doesn't hurt my feeling of idolization toward her. It's complicated and I realize it may sound ridiculous because she isn't a real person, but in my mind Lara is the closest thing I have to a role model. I'm not talking about any of the numerous actors who have played her either, only the character herself.

Originally Posted by Narwhal

I think Kei Kurono is a bigger dick though, or even Hajime Muroto all killing bums with baseball bats for no reason and such :p

I strongly suggest you read the manga. Way better and dirtier than the anime .

Originally Posted by Narwhal

I think Kei Kurono is a bigger dick though, or even Hajime Muroto all killing bums with baseball bats for no reason and such :p

Yup, definitely Kei and Hajime. Biggest dicks ever. Nishi is a sweet heart!

Originally Posted by Dianeva

I realize it may sound ridiculous because she isn't a real person, but in my mind Lara is the closest thing I have to a role model. I'm not talking about any of the numerous actors who have played her either, only the character herself.

Yeah I know what you mean. And it doesn't sound ridiculous but completely rational because it's impossible to make a role model out of a real person, why? Because they are REAL, and human and always have mistakes. And when you have a role model and even if you succesfully imitate it, there is always a gap, the role model is always better. But when you imitate a character who is unrealistically perfect and you get a gap, it's still pretty close to the real thing. You get what I mean? You see, that's what I like so much about arts, it takes an ideal or idea of a person and amplifies it so strongly that it becomes a whole world (Like that babe Lara Croft, I bet the ones who made her aren't nearly as awesome as Lara). Whether it's a manga writer (that may become an anime), a musician, painter, novelist, actor, movie maker, any art. The artwork is always greater and more perfect, colourful than the creator.

Thanks everyone for your posts and I appreciate it but be careful if your role model isn't a work of art, imitating will probably end in vain

Originally Posted by Leanbb

I strongly suggest you read the manga. Way better and dirtier than the anime .

I referred to the anime, and it's unique character because I found its material more enthralling than the manga. Both opinions equally valid

Jack knife is also one of my role models. That dude always escapes

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Originally Posted by Ginsan

Yeah I know what you mean. And it doesn't sound ridiculous but completely rational because it's impossible to make a role model out of a real person, why? Because they are REAL, and human and always have mistakes. And when you have a role model and even if you succesfully imitate it, there is always a gap, the role model is always better. But when you imitate a character who is unrealistically perfect and you get a gap, it's still pretty close to the real thing. You get what I mean? You see, that's what I like so much about arts, it takes an ideal or idea of a person and amplifies it so strongly that it becomes a whole world (Like that babe Lara Croft, I bet the ones who made her aren't nearly as awesome as Lara). Whether it's a manga writer (that may become an anime), a musician, painter, novelist, actor, movie maker, any art. The artwork is always greater and more perfect, colourful than the creator.

Thanks everyone for your posts and I appreciate it but be careful if your role model isn't a work of art, imitating will probably end in vain

I don't think the point is to 'imitate' your role model. It's just someone to look up to. I realise that all humans are imperfect, but that's what makes you able to relate to the people you admire. You can aspire to improve yourself to be more like them, and you can also identify with their faults. I could never take on a perfect being (like the Jesus the church tries to sell) as a role model because I could never relate to him/her in any way. And for me it's not about becoming them... it's more about improving yourself and becoming someone else's role model some day, be it your son, a stranger, whatever.

Originally Posted by Dianeva

I've always thought that the problem with role models is that, if you're trying to imitate someone else, you will ultimately fail by definition. If nothing else, you'll lack their independence and originality, since the person someone might call their 'idol' likely never tried to imitate someone else. I've usually seen it like, if you want to strive to be an amazing person, come up with positive traits that you already have and work hard to perfect them. Then, you'll be your own person, completely unheard of before yourself and original.

I have considered recently though that people who have idols may not actually aspire to be exactly like their idol - only take certain traits from their idols and aspire to perfect those traits as much as their idol has, while still maintaining their own originality and even differing form their role model.

The following is something I don't believe I've ever announced outside of my own mind because it's a bit embarrassing, and something I didn't even realize to be true consciously until recently. I still don't think I have a role model, but lately the person who inspires me hasn't been a person at all, but a game character - Lara Croft. I've played the Tomb Raider games since I was 9 years old and have always had a lot of respect for her. It's hard to describe, but she's the only character I've ever felt that idolization feeling toward. It isn't just idolization - it's like I identify with her on some deep level. Playing the games, especially the most recent one, puts my mind into this strange place, it really digs into me deeply for some reason, and I feel more motivated than I could be by anything else. Even though realistically I don't have 1% of her awesomeness. No other person or character has given me this feeling.

I really do hate my personality sometimes, but whenever I do try to improve it in little ways, it's always to become more like her's. Calm, rational, genuinely polite and dignified. The last two are the ones that I lack in person, as I'm somewhat cold. I never intend to be 'mean', but my personality turns out like that because I'm so terrible socially. I also admire that she really loves what she does, and is good at it, even though it's nothing close to what I do. She isn't doing it so that people look up to her, she isn't doing it for the money or to be famous, etc. She's only doing it because she enjoys it and is deeply curious about archaeology, or because she's trying to fight for something good. That's something I try to strive for as well. Not caring what people think of me, and doing things for enjoyment. And of course, I'm sure the fact that she's hot and desirable doesn't hurt my feeling of idolization toward her. It's complicated and I realize it may sound ridiculous because she isn't a real person, but in my mind Lara is the closest thing I have to a role model. I'm not talking about any of the numerous actors who have played her either, only the character herself.

Looking up to people doesn't take from your originality. Honestly, you become like the examples you surround yourself with no matter what, so your sense of originality appears intrinsically flawed. The transactional influence between ourselves and our environment creates a composite we call personality, and it will always be a unique snowflake even if you prefer to choose certain examples over others.

I already act like Andy Kaufman and Aleister Crowley. The fact that those two people existed give me the confidence to accept myself for who I am. I'm not exactly like them, but they were both total tricksters. Kaufman spent his life acting out an inside joke while Crowley's beliefs about reality reflected a core belief that you can warp reality by warping your consciousness, and therefore his beliefs were malleable. It is impossible to know if Crowley ever truly believed anything he said, he was that sort of enigmatic thinker that would tell one person The Book of the Law truly was channeled from an ethereal being and another person that it came from within his unconscious. Even funnier than his own baseless, shiftable identity were that stories about him, which mostly aren't true when one does proper research.

These two role models essentially give me justification for what I naturally want to be. Though they certainly managed to gain plenty of enemies and people often to preferred to judge them prematurely rather than attempt to understand the complexity of what they were, I find it a huge relief that they existed because it means I'm not alone in my own frighteningly unique view of reality.

Career wise, Alan Moore has mentioned some very agreeable beliefs about art and magic. He has referred to himself not just as a graphic novelist but also as a ceremonial magician, with his graphic novels being the medium for his magic. I find this to be helpful as well because it allows me to realize I do not need to invent a brand new career out of nothing, someone has scouted out the territory beforehand. I share the same belief with him regarding the relationship between art and magic, and while I enjoy employing sigils and what not, my biggest tool to perform miracles on earth will be my employment of art. But I'm not going to do graphic novels like Moore, nor comedy like Kaufman, nor secret intelligence like Crowley. I'm doing something unique, but I take influence from them. Not because I want to be like them rather than myself, but because they make me realize it's okay to be myself.

Originally Posted by Original Poster

Looking up to people doesn't take from your originality. Honestly, you become like the examples you surround yourself with no matter what, so your sense of originality appears intrinsically flawed. The transactional influence between ourselves and our environment creates a composite we call personality, and it will always be a unique snowflake even if you prefer to choose certain examples over others.

This makes sense and I agree for the most part. The only problem that I suspect may occur for some people (and I'm not sure about this) is that, if a person takes their idol too seriously, they may forever be stuck in a 'student' stage and never completely feel like their own person, even if they become or even surpass their idol.

As an example, consider what happens for Debra Morgan in Dexter. She idolized her father her entire life, so once she actually found herself more successful than he ever was, she didn't know what to make of it and felt lost. Because she took her role model so seriously, she didn't know how to embrace her own awesomeness and originality without comparing herself to him. Her character would be much stronger if she were able to get rid of that low self-esteem inherent in idolizing someone too much. Of course that example isn't real, and I don't know whether that's a realistic danger.

It's hard to tell. I do see the possibility of a different danger, which is justifying actions because someone you admire did it. For example, I really admire Bukowski, Hunter S Thompson, and many other artists who were hardcore alcoholics. I'm not alone in that, either. In my town there's a pretty good poetry scene and I've noticed that there's a crop of us who are almost nihilistic in our hedonistic pursuits. The other poets often get pretty drunk, but I for one stick out really bad in the way I routinely get severely plastered to the point where I black out and make an ass of myself. It seems like my other drunk poet friends can hold themselves together a little bit better, at least at the open mic parties, but they're also reputable drunks and they're also admirers of Bukowski and drunk writers.

It's important to keep in mind that Bukowski was pretty talented but he wasn't very happy. Another person I admire, Jack Kerouac, left this world alone and completely insane, living in a basement covering the walls in crayon. There's a very real pitfall in thinking anything your role model did is okay for you to do. There's almost a recklessness between my friends and I, where only actions that favor self destruction are considered cool.

As far as losing sense of what to do when you surpass your idol, I don't think I could ever follow exactly in my idols footsteps enough to know what it would mean to surpass them. I have so many and I consider my ideal self to be sort of a composite between all of them, just as my self is a composite of all the examples around me.I don't think I could really surpass Jack Kerouac or Alan Moore anyways, because like them ideally I'd keep writing my entire life and I don't expect my writing to achieve even greater popularity. The most I could really hope for is to see my work made into films, just like theirs' is. I suppose, though, one could become so attached to a role model they limit their possibilities. Maybe I'd want to write some mega fantasy, in which case I'd probably begin to admire George Martin and JRR Tolkien more than the aforementioned names. I think that kind of fluidity is important. In fact, I think it's important to remember there's a difference between admiring someone and worshiping them. Too much attachment to behaving like a certain role model can quite easily lead to what you've described. After all, while it's cool to be like Jesus, at the end of the day you've got to be your own Christ.

Joe Rogan inspires me the most. Listen to his blurbs on youtube about reality of life, be the best you can be. God damn they inspire me

While I can no longer identify anyone I considered a rolemodel, beyond my parents, of course - I have created an idealized version of myself, with desirable traits, so I have something to work towards.

Naturally, I consider this idealized version of myself to be "perfect" - intentionally so, even though I don't believe that perfection can ever be reached. It won't stop me from trying, however.

Perfection is a goal that can be chased, never caught. This will always give me something to work towards.

Originally Posted by SilentEternity

While I can no longer identify anyone I considered a rolemodel, beyond my parents, of course - I have created an idealized version of myself, with desirable traits, so I have something to work towards.

Naturally, I consider this idealized version of myself to be "perfect" - intentionally so, even though I don't believe that perfection can ever be reached. It won't stop me from trying, however.

Perfection is a goal that can be chased, never caught. This will always give me something to work towards.

That's a good point. Everyone has that vision of themselves, I believe. Of the person they wish they were. I forget where I heard this but under some scheme there are a few different 'you's. There's the person you are, the person your friends think you are, the person strangers think you are, etc. for multiple groups. And the person you wish you were. Which makes sense, yeah. I do occasionally imagine while trying to motivate myself the person I hope to turn out to be. And as you've said, that person is pretty much perfect in every way important to me.

Elliott Hulse, he's a strongman who posts videos on youtube about training but also a lot of philosophy videos. I find him charismatic and wise.

But also non-existant characters inspire me from time to time, it's not really a role model but certain traits that specific character has. Let's take Naruto for example, he's someone who won't betray his friends and is caring for people around him. It's more the small stuff like that, that adds up together and forms one big mix of inspiration for me.

You should never try to be someone else, I'm a believer that you need to be original, unique, eccentric, whatever you may call it.

Dianeva, I've also heard or read about the different you's. Also can't quite remember it, but it certain is an interesting topic.