Thursday; February 27

Do you like biographies?  Whether in print or electronic media biographies are a popular genre.  We like to hear about people, especially our heroes; however, that can come with a cost.  You see, the most accurate biographies tell the story of their subjects complete with warts and all.  Sure, there are rah-rah books that showcase people in the most popular light, but beginning any biography comes with a risk that we are going to learn something about someone we don’t really want to know.  So, what should we do?  Should be relegate our reading to only those proven works that over-sweeten the story or give up historical accounts for fear of being exposed to the negative?  No, I think what we do is to realize that even our role models aren’t perfect.  They have flaws that should be acknowledged but that doesn’t mean that we give up on the positive characteristics in their lives.  Let’s not treat them as icons, but as individuals who can teach us about life.

Now, who would you like to learn more about?  Is there someone who fascinates you?  Go ahead and learn about them, but don’t go into the story with unrealistic expectations nor come out of it excusing what they did.  Just because we like someone doesn’t mean that they didn’t make mistakes, it just means that we take the good with the bad.  When we approach it this way, we might even be more prepared to face our own lives and our own failures head on.

Think About It!


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