I remember as a young boy learning the word imitation and it's
various uses, both negative and positive. At that time, at least to me, the
word seemed mostly negative. I would hear, "That is just a cheap
imitation." I attached a negative meaning to that expression as well as
from seeing the quality of the items that were being referred to. Then one of
my brothers was teasing a younger one who complained to mother by saying,
"Mom, he is imitating me!" To me, both of those meanings were
negative and I don't believe I came to know the positive aspects of imitations
or imitating until many years later. I was told that during WW II natural
products were often substituted by some type of synthetic substance. For
example, tires for civilian vehicles were made out of a synthetic or imitation
rubber so that the better and more reliable tires made from real rubber would
be available for military vehicles used in the war effort.
Margarine became a very poor substitute or imitation for butter.
It came in a white one pound bar with a little package of reddish/orange
coloring. The package of coloring had to be mixed into the white margarine
until it was supposed to look yellowish like butter but it never did look or
taste like butter. The fat in the butter was used to make explosives; at least
that is what I had heard. Instead of nylon stockings women had to wear
stockings made out of some type of synthetic imitation or use the painted on
stocking effect. The synthetic nylons developed runs very easily and so it was
not unusual to see at least one run in a woman's stocking. I remember seeing
mother putting a little fingernail polish on the beginning of a run, which was
supposed to stop it from continuing to run. The real nylon material had to be used
in making parachutes, etc. There were many more examples of cheap imitations
but those imitations got our nation through the war without too much
deprivation.
Many of the imitations today, however, look as good if not
better than the genuine product. They say that the average person can't tell
the difference between a real Rolex watch, for example, and the imitation.
There are a lot of imitations, even in the world of art. There are artists who
specialize in creating almost perfect imitations of original and very valuable
pieces of art. There are even people who try to imitate other people. Some have
become enamored with someone famous and find themselves imitating their
behavior. For example, there are many who try to imitate Elvis Presley. Sadly,
there are people that try to imitate infamous figures from history that were
evil and destructive.
Francesco Guicciardini stated that, "He who imitates what
is evil always goes beyond the example that is set; on the contrary, he who
imitates what is good always falls short." The young of the human family
as well as the young in the animal kingdom learn and grow by imitating their
parents and others who are older. Being able to observe the process of
imitation is both wondrous and often humorous. I was watching a short video of
a small puppy learning how to come down a set of stairs. Obviously the puppy
was scared to take the first step. So his mother went up to the top and showed
or demonstrated for the puppy how to do it. The puppy would start to follow but
then hesitate so the mother went back up to the top and demonstrated again and
she actually had to show the puppy about six or seven times before the puppy
gained enough confidence to imitate its mother and took its first step down the
stairs.
From the alleged quotes of Confucius we find the following:
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is
noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience,
which is the most bitter." If the easiest way to gain wisdom is by
imitating others then imitation should be recognized and professed as the
primary method of learning throughout the land. The Preacher in Leviticus said
that: 'There is nothing new under the Sun,' meaning that no matter what we say
or do, it has already been said or done somewhere, at some time in this world.
If that is true then we are all, unwittingly, imitators.
Imitation has also been said to be one of the sincerest forms of
flattery. That, however, would only be true if we were aware of the person we
were imitating beforehand. Imitation then, like many other things 'under the
Sun', has both a positive and a negative value or side to it. On the positive
side we can gain wisdom by imitation and we can often become better people by
emulating or imitating those whom we know are good. The best and the 'easiest'
way to become a successful insurance and financial advisor is to sit down next
to those who are already good advisors and to begin to imitate what they do. To
think that you can just start at home and become successfully involved in this
relatively complex profession is probably the wrong approach. Virtually
everything we have accomplished in life, whether in part or in whole, we owe to
the art of imitation. I have heard people tell about starting on their own,
over and over, and then giving up because they just didn't know how or what
they were doing. They were like the puppy at the top of the stairs without the
mother nearby to show them how. Imitating knowledgeable insurance and financial
advisors either within your agency or within NAIFA is the very best way to
become experienced and successful. You have learned via imitation all your
life, don't stop now, nor feel embarrassed about it. The work is a good work
and a work that may be more important than any other that you will ever be
involved in. It is the work of this noble profession. Do your work so that
others will want to imitate you.
Richard Ek, LUTCF
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