> Today in my Junior English class, the teacher told us to write about the person we admire the most. Most of the relatively small class opted to write about a celebrity they look up to, and when I was asked who I'd written my paper on, the responses I got were shocking.
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> I'd written the paper about myself. Of course I admire myself, and I honestly don't understand why so many people were confused by my paper. For the most part, I got looks of utter bewilderment and an occassional giggle...but why?

I don't think our society has too many good role models for "appropriate levels of self-approval". On one hand you get "I am the Greatest" type egotistical sports heroes mugging for the camera after the touchdown or slam dunk, or on the other hand you get "I'm a total loser" a la Jerry Springer.
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> Writing the paper about myself seems totally logical to me. I know what I've gone through in life, and I know everything I've done to get where I am at now. I know what my dreams, fears, and accomplishments are, and I know whether or not I truly DESERVE to be admired by...well, me.
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> How can you really admire someone you don't know, anyway?

You're absolutely correct. A whole lot of truly admirable character traits are not the sorts of things that show up in a superficial relationship anyway. (not that you can even call unilateral celebrity worship a relationship)
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> To me, an admirable person is someone who has overcame numerous low points in their life and still managed to come out of it all with a smile. They should be someone who will listen, understand, encourage you to grow, accept you for who you are, and be aware of your faults but love you anyway. So, yeah, I think I qualify as an admirable person, though most people (unfortunately) never get the chance to know "the real me." Maybe if I wasn't such a shy person, they'd be able to understand why I chose myself.
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> ~Den-"that was my self-esteem boost of the day"Kara


I have noticed that when I admire someone it is often because they posess traits or abilities I lack myself. Not that I necessarily want those particular traits--but it's sort of a recognition of something that's different/good/useful in someone else. I think the different/good/useful traits we posess ourselves we tend to take for granted (which may be why a lot of people *don't* admire themselves..?)

koala"all for cheerful self-acceptance"mom