I generally don't think of many individuals as admirable. Which is part of the reason why I don't exactly get star struck when seeing very popular people. I do like to believe that all the good things people do, could've been done by many others. And maybe it would be better to remember the great things these people did, instead of remembering the person that did it. Partially also because as you said yourself, no person is really perfect.
I hear you and I've given this some thought. At one point, I had come to the same conclusion, that actions are admirable but since people aren't perfect, people aren't admirable. But the more I considered it, I argued myself out of that conclusion because I know some people personally, who again, aren't perfect, but have unusual qualities that most people lack.
@Chris Fitzgerald listed John Goldsby as an example and I have to agree with him. I consider John a friend, even though I don't know him very well, but through all of my interactions with him over the past decade, I continually find him an encouraging, optimistic, good-humored, and remarkably well-centered person. Someone I'd be happy to share a foxhole with.
Add to that his work ethic, dedication to his muse, family, and friends, and the discipline to develop a high level of artistry and professional achievement, and, I have to say, I think he's a superior person and it'd be hard to find a better role model.
The more thought I give this, the more people I know personally that I think are better than most folks, so it's not just some remarkable actions, there's that too, but some folks, IMO, have superior character and we'd be well-served to recognize them and their influence in our lives.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of a couple dozen. I'm sure that if I gave it more thought, I could expand that number.
Particularly, when I contrast that realization to a friend of a friend whose mother recently passed. The family is dysfunctional, and the two sisters had conspired with their mother to have their brother's inheritance put in a trust so he wouldn't waste it - a previously demonstrated, justifiable fear. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the will or the trust document and didn't think to look for it until their mother was too ill to help. They've been coming up with all kinds of criminal schemes to try to keep their brother from getting control of his inheritance - forged trust docs and wills, etc, moving money from bank accounts they don't own or have rights to. I'm struck by how quickly these otherwise honest sisters would so quickly turn to crime to get their way. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with grief, but honestly, they're really poor criminals and I think there's a good chance that they would go to prison if they execute any of these schemes. I've been raining on their parade, but, you can lead a horse to water...
