Live life as an exclamation, not an explanation

I'm fairly certain a large portion of my personality is a result of modeling after childhood role models. Most boys hold their fathers or the occasional teacher as their role models. But me? I always looked up to enthusiastic, educated, and entertaining (ACHOO! Agh, I'm allergic to alliteration) men that I probably watched on TV or something to that extent.

These dudes knew how to do it. They had a spark for life, a certain magnetism about them that was so invigorating. Bill Nye, specifically, ignited a desire within me to learn about this wonderful world. Sort of a, "Hey kids! You know this stuff, this awesome stuff that we all experience everyday? Well here's how it works. Isn't that cool?!" I loved it.



Now that I am older and probably not any wiser, I find that those I look up to most are the wise sages. Elderly men with a vast array of world experiences in their past; those who have travelled the world, simply to see what's out there. I find that they're generally easygoing, kindhearted, charming, and above all, wise.

All nerddom aside, observe now Dr. Wade Dazey, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Now let me just say, what a dude! A personal mentor for myself and I'm sure many others, Dr. Dazey has truly lived life. Someone who is, in my opinion, my personal epitome for a liberally educated person, I can hold a conversation with Dr. Dazey regarding just about any topic (excluding, maybe, the internet or technology), and he never fails to impress me with his breadth of knowledge. He has lived such a vide variety of experiences, and, from everything, walked away towards the future with a great attitude.
I feel a liberal education is what life is about; becoming a lifelong learner. The beautiful planet the human race lives on is so NUTS because of its diversity. One can't by just being interested in one thing. Critical thinking, psychology, history, ecology, astronomy, mythology, philosophy, photography, filmmaking, drama, literature, kinesiology, dance, music, exploring, traveling, technology, the internet, lore, relationships, humor, individualism. This is my life.



So how does one become wise? I suppose I would jump on a flashy TV show titled something along the lines of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama's 15 Steps to Wisdom, but come on people, this is America. Now that I think about it, a show about Buddhism would probably do pretty poorly in the Television market. Just look at All-American Muslim, that ambitious beast is getting ALL kinds of flack.
Wisdom. I think the way to get there is definitely experience... a wide variety of it. Living one's entire life in a white, affluent middle-class, Christian, Midwest America could perhaps lead to being an expert in something or even being smart, but not wise. I feel true wisdom requires, at the very least, empathy--examining situations from a totally different perspective.
If Albus Dumbledore and Wade Dazey embody my long-term ideal, what must I do in the short term to achieve that? Well, stories like THIS GUY'S come to mind...

Watch the epic video here

When people ask me what I want to be doing in 5 years, I show them this video.

Let me conclude by saying this whole idea of "role models" is something I don't really put that much thought into. I think a simple desire to watch an episode of Bill Nye compelled me to write this post. Trying to think about who I looked up to while growing up is pretty foreign. I am Ryan, I am me, dammit. That's all it really ever is or has been.