Simple Copying Monkeys
We'd be original. If we weren't so damn unoriginal.
Role models matter. Heroes too.
Because we're basic.
Observing bonobos taught us - you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
We inherit our dreams from our culture and our idols.
We're so apt to take our cues from those around us - particularly those in authority - we'll even risk our lives crossing the street if someone vaguely aspirational is in our eyeline.
Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, an impossible barrier - inspiring 1,400 others who managed to do the same.
Obama's election boosted black student grades.
Daenerys Targaryen hatched a few dragons and named a generation of children.
It's why representation matters. Why stories and heroes matter. Why leaders matter.
We're simple copying monkeys. The monkeys we copy matter.
