In my case, it is a range of people from various walks of life and for very different reasons.
The Nurses who saw me through childhood illness ;
Taught me the value of caring.
The Nuns at Convalescent Home and Open Air School; Taught me to be honest and truthful, but also that being religious, does not always mean being compassionate and caring.
The children who targeted me for being poor and scruffy ; taught me that the bullying for being less fortunate than others, does more lasting damage to ones spirit and self esteem, than the actual deprivation.
Some Teachers ; Reinforced the values of honesty and integrity and a very few, the value of understanding that we all have a responsibility to be the best we can and also to help others in this respect.
Even the Bad Role Models, played their part ; When one knows what it is like to be on the receiving end, it often helps to ensure that one resists treating others that way. Though it must be said, some use it as an excuse for continuing the trends.
