Men whom you respect and/or look up to 100%

For me it would be my big brother.

My story is more than just a little fucked up. Condensed version: I grew up an only child - always just me and my mother. Extremely bad blood between mom and dad. Never met my father until last year because of a very *VERY* strange series of events that happened like dominoes and involved said big rother finally managing to track me down. Met my dad face to face for the first time at the death of a grandmother that I never knew and abruptly discovered that I was #7 of 8 children. Cue a whole bunch of shit that would probably span 3 days worth of journal entries to describe.

At any rate -

Outside of my aging grandfather who also has all of my undying love and respect (grew up hard on the last of the Alabama sharecropper plantations), I've never really had a positive younger male role model in my life. My uncles come close, but I only see them once in a blue moon. When I finally met my big brother, my whole life as well as my outlook on nearly almost everything changed. It's funny - when it comes to how we were raised, we're complete opposites. I'm quiet and softspoken, he's brash and abrasive. But we get along like best friends who've known each other all our lives. He just began work as a firefighter in Newark, takes care of all of his kids and loves them unconditionally, has already taught me a hell of a lot, and is just...a brother to me. Something I've never had the chance to experience before. Plus, he's the only person I know whom I can relate to in this world who knows first hand what it's like to have the father we have. =|

But I digress, the question here is this:

I used to think that finding a guy whom you could respect and look up to was few and far between for most people. Sometimes I still wonder if thats the case, so who do you look up to and respect, and why do you do so?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I respect my dad. There's no real story, I think. He's the only person in my immediate family that isn't naturally irritable. The fact that he can handle the stress of his job, bills, and the arguments that inevitably come up between the other three members of the house (that doesn't include me), makes me respect him.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Respect 100%... There was never really one who fit this for me. Everyone I thought I respected... I'd always find something I just couldn't respect. Instead of looking upto someone, to some flawed individual, I chose to look upto God. I'll have my own flaws no matter what... why should I try to be like someone else who is also flawed. Always made 'role-model' papers fun in school. Some teachers just said to write about why I didn't have one, others told me to do the best I could, which meant 'fake it' to me.

Yours was rahter intresting, and I enjoyed reading about it. Hopefully someone else will post something equally intresting~

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by avanent

Respect 100%... There was never really one who fit this for me. Everyone I thought I respected... I'd always find something I just couldn't respect. Instead of looking upto someone, to some flawed individual, I chose to look upto God. I'll have my own flaws no matter what... why should I try to be like someone else who is also flawed. Always made 'role-model' papers fun in school. Some teachers just said to write about why I didn't have one, others told me to do the best I could, which meant 'fake it' to me.

Yours was rahter intresting, and I enjoyed reading about it. Hopefully someone else will post something equally intresting~

Wow. Are you serious about this? No one is perfect. That's a fact. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't perfect. Ghandi wasn't perfect. Mother Theresa wasn't perfect. Yet they are respect by millions of people. Why? Because of their attitudes toward life and the things they have accomplished. You're putting too much emphasis on the negative aspects.

You sound like an arrogant bitch. Doesn't the fact that people are trying to overcome their shortcomings mean anything to you? Or since they're role models, they should be perfect.

My dad is my greatest role model. But he drinks. Oops! This automatically makes him evil and disrespectable.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Trigunnerz

Wow. Are you serious about this? No one is perfect. That's a fact. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't perfect. Ghandi wasn't perfect. Mother Theresa wasn't perfect. Yet they are respect by millions of people. Why? Because of their attitudes toward life and the things they have accomplished. You're putting too much emphasis on the negative aspects.

You sound like an arrogant bitch. Doesn't the fact that people are trying to overcome their shortcomings mean anything to you? Or since they're role models, they should be perfect.

My dad is my greatest role model. But he drinks. Oops! This automatically makes him evil and disrespectable.

Your making quite a bit of assumptions. If I've never met them, how much can I really know about them. Can someone whom I don't know anything about really be a rolemodel. I don't think so.

Your right, no one is perfect. Your claiming my exact point. Why can't I aim for an ideal? Are you saying aiming for an ideal is bad?

Don't put words in my mouth. Your overexagerating. I respect plenty of people, but to respect 100% of a person is a lot to respect. To respect 100% to me means every aspect, all 100%. I respect both of my parents greatly, they fed me, raised me, housed me, paid for my entire education. However, they both also have qualities which I do not find respectable. Does this mean they are bad? Does this mean I dis-respect them. No. It means there are aspect I do not respect, and thus I do not respect the entirity of 100%. There are thiings I respect about everyone and things I do not respect about everyone. I respect your participation in the thread and your opinion, however I dont care for the demeanor. Everything has good aspect and bad, everything is a shade of grey. Only ideals are black and white.

Instead of jumping to conclusions and making accusations, couldn't you just ask for clarification?

I was speaking idiomatically.

My bad. I jumped the gun too fast. =X

I guess I came out as being too rash.

To elaborate on my previous post, my dad has been the best role model for me. When he was a young businessman, he was picked by his company to go to the US as a marketing rep. That didn't turn out too well. He tried starting his own business soon after, but that didn't turn out well either. He then decided to work for a couple more years to build experience. Finally, he started another company, and with that he had enough to buy a house and send me off to college. After so many failures, he was able to finally succeed.

I find that respectable in any person. The ability to keep on fighting on despites the odds.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

no worries. Text can easily be misread into other meanings :/

One of the strongest impression ever made on me was by a friend. I respected him on about the average level. However, one day he did something that has impressed me since then, roughly 10 years ago or so now. We were still foolish kids, and an online gag got a bit out of hand. It became harrasment, and an official came to hold us accountable. We were all quite fearful... none of us knew what was going to happen, and it looked as if we'd all be in deep shit. He stepped forward though, and claimed it was him alone. Whatever happened, he seemed fine later about, but this act gained alot of respect from me.

Originally Posted by Trigunnerz

I find that respectable in any person. The ability to keep on fighting on despites the odds.

A very respectable trait. Until recently, I could say I didn't really know anyone like that. I've known people who've done extremely well, but the odds are either neutral or in their favor. Currently though, I do know someone whom seems to have alot stacked up against her, and yet she still thrives.

I currently have more respect for her than anyone else Although its still not quite that 100%, it is pretty close. I guess it _could_ be close enough... I'm not sure if I know her well enough to decide that.

FELIPE NO

Wow...I wish I could say my father.
He hasn't really messed up.

But the whole; feeding me, clothing me, taking care of me?
I don't admire that as much as I expect it? Is that wrong?
When you have a child with a women, its YOUR responsibility. You should be in a position where you can give your child all that and more.
In my opinion, if a parent isn't doing that, then he's fucking up.
And if he IS doing it, and nothing more, then he's just barely making it by.



Anyway-

Bruce Lee. I've read all the books. Seen all the movies. Seen all the interviews.
And I've seen what was left in his short but tremendous wake.

I think not knowing a person 100% helps me respect them 100%. I don't know if he was an asshole...even though all of his friends said he was amazing.
But the fact that I don't know him personaly makes him more like a god-like figure.

He destroyed the walls between martial arts styles, faught the barriers of race with his marrige, faught the triads to keep his schools open, and excepted ANY and ALL challanges.

There were "stories" of on set fights where extras didn't beleive his skill. And were taught very quickly he did have the skill.

I think these "stories" are exactly what you should look for when thinking about a role modle.
A few people said God as their role model. Is god not just a bunch of stories and text?
The thing is, it's all about faith. If you beleive in it, then it's real.
I feel the same way about Mr.Lee. He's immortal. He's done more in his short 30 or so years on this planet then most will do in 3 lifetimes.


Wow....that was really drawn out. :\

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

100% respect for a man ... that I can't do, because with everyone there are always times when I'm left thinking wtf? Maybe the only exception there would be Jesus.

My third stepdad though comes pretty close. He married my abrasive mother and adopted me when I was ten. Ever since then he's always treated me like his real daughter, even when my Mum would be threatening divorce or running off. He is so calm and level-headed, even when things get really bad, it's easy to have respect for a guy like that.

Most amazing jew boots