Conan O'Brien's Brutal Wisdom

Conan O'Brien, born April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
An American MC and comedian.
He is popular for his unique sense of humor and hosting style, which sets him apart from other stand-up comedians and show hosts. He has also won numerous Emmy Awards.

Many people have role models they admire and aspire to be like. They strive hard to become similar to them and emulate their behavior.

At a Dartmouth College graduation ceremony, a student asked Conan O'Brien the following question:

“Can we truly become like our role models?”

Here is Conan O'Brien's speech in response to this question.

This phenomenon occurs in all professions, but I've been doing comedy for 25 years, so I can speak about my field with some expertise. In the 1940s, there was a really funny guy named Jack Benny. He was a huge star and the most successful comedian of his generation.

And a younger comedian, Johnny Carson, desperately wanted to be like Jack Benny. In some ways, he was similar to Jack Benny, but in many other ways, he was different.

He emulated Jack Benny, but his own quirks and idiosyncrasies led him in a different direction. By failing to perfectly imitate his hero, he became the funniest person of his generation.

David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson, but he couldn't. As a result, all the comedians of my generation wanted to be David Letterman.

But nobody could become David Letterman. My colleagues and I couldn't.

When we fail to reach the ideal we've been striving for, we discover who we are and find our unique selves.

It's not easy. But if you can embrace and manage misfortune, your failures can become a catalyst for a complete rebirth.

I gained a great insight from this part of the speech.

Because we failed to become the role models we admired and longed to be, we become ‘our true selves.’ While this moment might be painful, it ultimately serves as a turning point for growth.

The very process of striving to be like our role models, learning from them, is what fosters our own growth and helps us become who we truly are.