Who Are We Imitating?

The most efficient way to acquire a skill is by practicing what you want to learn. We know how to walk because someone took us by the hand and showed us how to walk. We imitate their steps. Most of the habits we have, we acquired by observing someone, imitating their behavior. Ever since we were children, we observe the people around us and try to do what the other person is doing.

In adolescence, it's easier to notice this imitation. Young people usually gather in "tribes" that talk the same way, dress the same way, listen to the same music, go to the same places and practically think the same way. Talking to one of the gang is the same as talking to everyone.

Even as adults, we often find ourselves imitating someone else's attitude without realizing it. How many times have you said something to your child and then thought: "Wow, I said that just like my father/mother?"

We are social beings

Human beings are always looking for references. We are social beings, we were born to live in a community and this imitation of behavior ends up creating a certain social harmony, we feel safer in an environment where we know how the other will behave. Even though we are unique and unrepeatable beings, with exclusive DNA, our tendency is to conform to the environment and those who are very different end up being marginalized.

In the hectic world we live in, doing what others do without much thought ends up being common behavior, because acting on your own requires effort and reflection. Only those with a firm and free personality can swim against the current: firm because it is rooted in solid principles and free because it is not trapped in sentimentality or in their own instincts and desires.

However, even this person with a firm and free personality, who is not following the "masses", has a model, a reference that they try to imitate. Human beings imitate and this is a reality we cannot escape. So, the big question is: who are we imitating?

Our model: Jesus Christ

For Christians, our great model is Jesus Christ. He is the one we must try to imitate, even if we become outcasts because of it. Imitating Jesus Christ directly can seem a little daunting, after all, he is God. But there are many people who have managed to conform their lives to Jesus' teachings, and these are a little more accessible to us. The Virgin Mary, in the first place, is a great example to imitate, with her willingness to do God's will and all the virtues she developed in her life. We can also be inspired by the lives of so many saints, who in different eras and states of life, each with their own originality, were also faithful imitators of Jesus.

Today we have access to the lives and behavior of thousands of people through social networks. Being an "influencer" has even become a profession! But we need to be aware of who we let influence our lives and our families. And we also need to train and strengthen ourselves to be a good influence on those around us, especially our family.

In practice

How do we do this? First, by becoming aware that we have this tendency to imitate and by analyzing our lives to see who our role models are, who we are imitating or would like to imitate. Then we can get to know these people's lives better, their struggles, their circumstances, to see to what degree imitation is possible. And finally, be aware that we can try to imitate attitudes, but we will always have our originality. We'll never be exactly the same as anyone else, so the most important thing is to see how we can reproduce that behavior in our reality, at the stage of life we're at.