Teaching by example

I’ve been thinking lately about the concept of a good example being the most effective teacher.

In my life there have been things that I have done simply for the purpose of “setting a good example” and I didn’t really enjoy it and it didn’t really teach all that much to those I was wanting to teach. As I thought about it recently, it occurred to me that in order to teach effectively by example, the example must appeal to the desire for self-improvement of those you want to teach. If it looks like you’re miserable doing something that you “should” be doing, or that is “your duty” to do, it is more likely that the lesson being learned is that doing what you should and fulfilling your duty will make you miserable. This is the logical conclusion of the myth of altruism. There is nothing that is done purely without taking into consideration your own preferences. Every deliberate act indicates that you value one thing more than not doing it.

This is not to say that everything for which we set an example is ice cream on Sunday afternoon, or that it needs to look like you’re at an amusement park. It’s often that things that really do help those you want to teach are not easy and are somewhat uncomfortable. The solution is to make sure that you yourself identify why you do it. Everyone loves the feeling of creating more value in the world than they consume. This is the source of all true happiness. Identify it and don’t be ashamed that you gain something from creating value for others. This is how you teach by example. You do it yourself so that others can see the benefits in your life and want the same benefits.