The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its role models

In this varying world, change is the only constant. Perceptions, idealization, ethics, moral values, living standard, fashion and clothing, intellectuality everything changes so as the society’s heroes or it’s role model. Examining the characters of the men and women chosen by the society’s as heroes and its role model may be one of the way to understand the character of the entire society but perhaps it’s not the best way because of following three reasons.
First of all, characters of a society can be traced in to the recorded history that the historian left, and most of the time historian documents the characters of that specific period’s heroes and role models. With time, heroes and role model changes and historian marched for documenting new hero’s characters. For instance, Barak Obama once the chosen hero of the society is no longer representing the role model of the society after his term ends. So examining the characters of periodic role model may help to understand the character of the society of that particular period and it’s one way among several ways to accomplish the task not the best or universal way which will work irrespective of time and situation.
Additionally, society is composed of varying classes of people all don’t possess the very same characteristic. Philosopher, scientist, architect, singer, intellectuals, farmers, war heroes, lay people all are the part of a society and their characters vary in terms of their thinking, perceptions, living standard, ethics and so many more. In Indian subcontinent, Mahatma Gandhi is the all-time role model for his message of peace and nonviolent movement. Even he was assassin by a matador of the same society. If all could follow the path showed by Gandhi, perhaps he would not have to face that kind of inauspicious fate. As heroes and role model characters don’t represent the society’s characters as a whole, examining their characters will not make us understood fully.
While society encourage its people to follow the foot step and act like their temporary role model and believe that if all of them do these then the society will be utopian one and if it was the real scenario, then the proposed method perhaps would be the best way to understand the society. But unfortunately it does not happen in real world. Both in ancient and modern era there are so much unveiled characters of the chosen hero or role model that are not being introduced with the general people. A role model of any field, that may be politics, athletics, entertainment, may show their best performance or generous site in public while hiding their true self. It’s very daunting task to know all hereabouts of any person and then follow everything. As it is rarely possible to adopt every characters of a heroic figures their examination will not provide much information about the remaining society.
Moreover, a person can be celebrated once as a role model for any of his or her heroic act, or any principle, or advancement she or he has done to the society. But this same person can be ridiculed even hated by the society for other some reason or any kind of illicit act of his or her at later time. In this case, Hitler can be cited as good example. During second world war, he got huge supports from his followers but now he is considered as most hated persons in the world. Moreover, his characters, his perceptions didn’t represent the whole society’s characters. If one attempts to extrapolate characters of the society of second world war era solely examining the characters of Hitler, she may fall in illusion of very wrong concept. There are huge possibilities of the presence of people whose idea and opinions were not in accord with Hitler and they only supported for the sake of their life, for their survival.
There is no doubt that hero’s and role model’s characters influence the society’s characters to a great extent and their characteristics are cited everywhere as example but all society dwellers cannot acquire them and accomplish the task done by their model. With time hero and their influences changes and so people’s perceptions that’s why examining the characters of hero and role model may be good way but we need to find more valid method and suitable way that will works with every possible variable.