Often people talk about mentors in a variety of ways--usually with a grateful attitude. We learn a lot from them and are often influenced by their abilities. As this is Inspirefly...I love looking at how people influence us. With the events at the Boston Marathon today, I am thinking about the mentors in the hospitals, the police force, and creepily enough I am thinking about the mentor that the "bomber" may or may not have had. (Yes I am using "bomber" in quotes because as of this post this nobody knows for sure anything about who is responsible.) How many of us are influenced by our mentor? Are we influenced because we choose to be or is it "forced" upon us?I have been thinking a bit about the people that have influenced me....some people are considered mentors, and others have been considered just people that are around me. People that are around us, I think we have almost a subconscious decision to be influenced by them. People that are considered mentors--how they influence us is usually taken by choice because they are there to help us improve. But what happens when these mentors don't influence us in a way that will move us towards what we want? Or what happens when the "mentee" doesn't take the advice? It isn't always so simple.
So on this somber day, I wonder what mentors have been affected and what mentees were affected. We might not really ever know completely what happened today, but it is interesting to ponder the lives affected outside of the family/friends circle.
How have you been influenced by a mentor?
6 comments:
I would count a few teachers in school as possible 'mentors' when I was growing up. An English Literature teacher I had was particularly memorable and I do believe he had an influence over me. But it was my psychology teacher who was perhaps my strongest mentor at that time. She was such a wonderful woman. It was tragic and such a shock when she died suddenly half way through my studies.
Suzy Turner, YA Author
I've a short list of mentors. My mother in law (yeah...believe it or not) was abeautiful woman and taught me hwo to be a wife and mother and christian woman, a few teachers from my past, and certain writers I allow in my world. Mentors need be considered and chosen carefully. We must look within ourselves and ask what exactly we are receiving from our mentors. Looking at it from the outside in requires patience and trust and openess. My prayers are with those families and friends of such a terrible event.
I wish our culture focused more on mentorships; I think it's a bit lost in American society unless you have a specific group you're a part of that provides that kind of structure. Even for cultures where it's common to have more than one generation living together in a household, that can serve as sort of a mentorship.
Yesterday was so sad, seeing the news unfold.
I have two kinds of mentors-- the kind that touch me just once and change or influence me significantly, and those whose influence is ongoing. Visiting from the Challenge!
I don't think I had an actual mentor unless I count my mother who was a wonderful strong yet gentle woman who did anything for anyone.
Yesterday was so sad, no closer to knowing who did this thing but the mentors who inspired those to take up those caring professions who were there to help yesterday, many would have done so voluntarily, deserve all our plaudits.
It is hard to imagine anyone was not affected in some way or another- even a little pang from a distance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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