“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our actions–not our words–determine the image that we project to other people. And our image is far more important than many of us realize, because all of us serve as role models for other people whether we know it or not.
Young people develop their own character and philosophy of life by trying to emulate the people they most admire. We tend to think of role models as famous athletes, movie stars and other celebrities, and such people do serve as role models for many of the young. But everyone has more than one role model. In addition to looking to celebrities, the young also observe the ordinary people with whom they come into regular contact in trying to decide what kind of person they want to be. And we never know when someone is observing our actions and trying to become like us.
What kind of role models are we, and if we are not satisfied with the image we are projecting to those who might be observing us, what can we do to become better role models for anyone who might try to emulate us? Our answers to these questions would vary from individual to individual depending upon our basic philosophy of life. In my case, I would like to project an image of honesty, compassion and responsibility. I want my actions to be consistent with my words so that people will consider me trustworthy, and I’d like to be seen as a person who cares very much about the happiness and well being of others. Finally, I hope to exemplify a sense of responsibility toward the world and its inhabitants.
I think we should all ask ourselves, “What would God want us to do with our lives?” The answer that I always get when I ask myself this question is that God wants me to try to contribute to the happiness of those with whom I come into contact, and to do whatever is in my power to make this a better world for both the present inhabitants and future generations. I don’t think God wants me to concentrate on the happiness of others to the exclusion of my own, but it has been my experience that when we do things to increase the happiness of others, we also increase our own happiness. Other people will come up with other answers when they ask themselves that question. The important thing is to try to live the kinds of lives that we believe God would want us to live. If everybody would begin to do this, the world would never again be the same.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2026
Allen W. Smith
