Friday, June 22, 2011
Today's Gift
My
father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.
—Clarence Budinton
Kelland
We learn much of what we need to know about being men and women from models we have in other men and women. Some of us have fond memories of being next to our parents and imitating their ways. Many of us also have the feeling of a gap in our models. Perhaps our parents weren't around enough, or we may have rejected some of their habits and values, creating an uncertainty about masculine or feminine roles. We may feel unsure of ourselves, or we may berate ourselves for what we don't know.
It is well to remember how much we have already learned in our adult years. It is never too late. No person ever reaches adulthood having learned everything from their parents that they will need to know about masculinity or femininity. We can look around us for more models in the men and women we know. For a person to be our model, we first choose someone we admire and then get to know them well. In this way, we carry on the human tradition of one person learning from another.
We learn much of what we need to know about being men and women from models we have in other men and women. Some of us have fond memories of being next to our parents and imitating their ways. Many of us also have the feeling of a gap in our models. Perhaps our parents weren't around enough, or we may have rejected some of their habits and values, creating an uncertainty about masculine or feminine roles. We may feel unsure of ourselves, or we may berate ourselves for what we don't know.
It is well to remember how much we have already learned in our adult years. It is never too late. No person ever reaches adulthood having learned everything from their parents that they will need to know about masculinity or femininity. We can look around us for more models in the men and women we know. For a person to be our model, we first choose someone we admire and then get to know them well. In this way, we carry on the human tradition of one person learning from another.
I am continuing to grow, and I can learn from the people I know now.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men©
Read more Daily Motivations at http://thework-in.blogspot.com/
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