I read biographies and everyone always talks about who they look up to, how they learned things from their parents or childhood mentors. Especially: the one defining moment that created their career.
I don’t think this is a good way to tell the story of extraordinary people. It may be easy to point to one thing but its destructive. I can’t relate to that and it used to worry me. “Am I not as good as those people?” Now I realize that my upbringing has been much more “democratic”. I’ve been inspired by everything around me. I can’t point to one specific thing and say: “This is why I’m like this.”
This also extends to heros. I can’t stand idolizing one person or any one group of people. Everyone has faults, everyone has strengths, I try to learn from everyone.
I don’t think I’m alone in feeling and thinking this way.
konrad kopczynski 