The Ones Who Took Time to Help Us Grow

I was listening to "Teachers" by Daft Punk (released in 1997) - the lyrics are literally just a list of DJ's and the like that have influenced them or inspired them.

This made me think of two main things related. One, don't underestimate who looks to you for their inspiration. This is especially true if you are a parent, but applies to anyone anywhere. I've been particularly thinking of this one in terms of leaders of countries and their vast depth of influence. They have direct influence that is easily seen and commonly discussed, yes. But I think they have a lot more power than they are aware in terms of nuances. I see this in the attitudes and social ideals of young men and women who are maturing into adults today.

The second thing I thought about was from a Mister Rogers graduation speech. He wanted the grads to take a moment and remember all the people who took time to teach them. Who were the people that got you, to this end result that you are today?

I think of this as everything from learning how to tie your shoes, to learning how to cook something, to learning a particular skill, basic hygiene, how to be creative, how to build or fix something, how to stay safe, how to be a good friend, how to deal with stress, how to be assertive, how to admit you were wrong... and so many other things.

Whomever those people were, they stopped to take time out of their life to teach you, to help you in some way, and without them you wouldn't be who you are today, in fact you may not even be here at all.