“A moral backbone is important. It makes tough decisions easier and justifiable to others and it garners respect.”

I respect my stepdad immensely and its honestly hard to put into words why, but he’s maybe the most well-balanced person I know. His emotional relationships work out extremely well, he’s done extremely well for himself financially without significantly stressing his family life, he’s always in great shape and continually competes in one sport or another, and he’s also human and isn’t afraid to show his emotions about something that means a lot to him. He’s been a great role model to me. He also has a strong moral foundation, but one that’s nuanced and based on his feel for the situation rather than abstract principles, which to me is even more impressive than reliance on a coded form of morality.