Of Stifler and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Role Models, the mostly-disposable (but still funny) David Wain-directed comedy, may not have aspired to lofty heights with its reflection on the importance of mentors in kids' lives, but it got me thinking about the importance of aspiration and what it means for humanity.

Humans are the only creatures on Earth that ever strive to be something else. Dolphins don't see people and try to walk on land; monkeys don't look at birds and try to fly; and dogs rarely look at cats and think, "I'm gonna start shitting in a litter box..." Furthermore, only human beings are capable of changing themselves by their own will--most other changes in nature occur because an outside force has acted upon a species.

Man's capacity for self-transformation is a constant. This idea was proffered by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola in his 1486 philosophical treatise the Oration on the Dignity of Man. In the work, Pico (a philosopher, of course) goes to great lengths to give purpose to man's quest for knowledge and stresses the importance of that intellectual or artistic journey, thus helping push the Renaissance out the medieval birth canal.

The root of his argument, interestingly, revolved around the idea of aspiration and, though he didn't use the term, role models. He wrote that God's vision for Earth did not initially include humans--they didn't figure into the chain of life. Like any artist, God wanted someone around to appreciate his work, so he created this sentient race who did not fit into this "chain of being," but would instead learn from imitating other creatures of the world. So, in simple terms, that furry thing eats apples, maybe I should do. If you truly aspired towards greatness, however, you would imitate the flawless Angels--God's greatest creations.

Religious or not, one can't help but admire the notion that we all have a certain responsibility to live up to our ideals. Religious icons became behavioral templates that people could use for guidance (i.e. WWJD?). Outside of religion, the behavioral template expands as infinitely as our capacity for adaptation. In a more abstract sense, Pico is saying we should imitate the highest form of being we can access--perhaps your angel is not Gabriel or Michael (maybe those two aren't even angles, but they're on my candles), perhaps your angel is Edith Piaf or Malcolm X or James Joyce or Judd Apatow or your grandmother.

The passive cynicism that plagues most twenty-somethings is not an actionable worldview and the bitterness, anger and hopelessness it perpetuates do little to further anyone towards self-actualization--if we agree with Maslow that such a place is the apex of man's life journey. Everyone has a responsibility to aspire towards something better than they are. Not one person on this planet is perfect, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying. It sounds like something your dickhead gym coach would have said, but you can always be better. To remind us of that, we are surrounded by people who are better than us, so why not strive towards greatness? Why not try to become the template that future generations use as guidance for their lives?

If Stifler can do it, all of us sure as shit can too.