【正文】 every fan I run into[N], when I don39。t feel like picking up babies and giving them hugs and kisses (no matter how cute they are), those are the days I just try to avoid the public.[4]But you don39。t have to be perfect to be a good role model, and people shouldn39。t expect perfection.If I were deciding[N]whether a basketball player was a positive role model, I would want to know: Does he influence people39。s lives in a positive way away from the court?How much has hegiven ofhimself, in time or in money, to help people who look up to him?Does he display the values—likehonestyand determination—that are part of being a good person?I wouldn39。t ask whether he lives his life exactly the way I would live it[N]or whether he handles every situation just the way I would handle it.[5]I do agree with Charles on one thing he says in his mercial: Just because I can dunk a basketball doesn39。t mean I should raise your kids.But sometimes parents need a little assistance.There are times when it helps for a mother and father to be able to say to their kids, Do you think Karl Malone or Scottie Pippen or Charles Barkley or David Robinson would do that?To me, if someone uses my name in that way, it39。s an honor. Sure, parents should be role models to their children.But let39。s face it[N], kids have lots of other role models—teachers, movie stars, athletes, even other kids.As athletes, we can39。ttake the place of parents, but we can help reinforce what they try to teach their kids.[6]Parents just have to make sure they don39。ttakeittoo far.Sometimes theyput us on apedestalthat feels more like atightrope—so narrow that we39。re bound to[N]fall off eventually.This is not something I39。m especially proud of, but I39。ve had parents in Utah say things to me like, You know, Karl, in our family weworshipthe ground you walk on[N]. In our house your picture is right up there on the wall beside Jesus Christ. Now, that39。s going too far.Is it any wonder some athletes don39。t want to be role models?[N]Who wants to be held up to that kind ofimpossiblyhigh standard?Imagine someone putting[N]alifesizedpicture of you on a wall and saying things to your picture before they go to bed. That39。sscary.[7]Constantly being watched by the public can be hard to tolerate at times.I am sorry that Michael Jordan had to deal with the negative publicity he received about gambling.I don39。t think most people can imagine what it39。s like to be watched that closely every minute of every day.I was told once that it wouldn39。t be that bad for me because no one would know me outside of Utah, but that39。s not true. Ever since I played on the Dream Team in theOlympics, I can39。t go anywhere without being the center of attention, and that39。s veryconfiningat times.For instance, there have been occasions when I39。ve felt like[N]buying a big HarleyDavidson motorcycle and riding it down the street.First, the Jazz wouldhave a fitand say it39。s too dangerous.Second, everyone would be watching to see if I wore a helmet, if I was obeying the speed limit, if I was taking turns safely—you name it.The first time I didn39。tmeasure up toexpectations, I would hear, What kind of example is that to set for other people who ride motorcycles?[8]But the good things about being a role modeloutweighthe bad.It39。s a great feeling to think you39。re a small part of the reason that a kid decided to give school another try instead ofdropping outor that a kid had the strength to walk away when someone offered him drugs.[N]But one thing I would encourage parents to do is to remind their kids that no matter which athletes theylook up to, there are no perfect human beings.That way, if the kid39。s heroes should make mistakes, it won39。t seem like the end of the world to them.[9]I would never criticize someone for saying what he thinks.If Charles doesn39。t consider himself a role model, that39。s certainly his right. But I think he is a role model—and a good one, too.And if he gets that NBAchampionshipring[N], I might just make him my role model.(1,090 words)At some time or other, all of us have played the part of ahypochondriac, imagining that we have some terrible diseaseon the strength ofvery minorsymptoms.Some people just have to hear about a new disease and they begin checking themselves to see if they may be suffering from it. But fear of disease is not our only fear, and neither is risk[N]of disease the only risk we run[N].Modern life is full ofall manner ofthreats—to our lives, our peace of mind, our families, and our future.And from these threats e questions that we must pose to ourselves[N]: Is the food I buy safe? Are toys for my children likely to hurt them? Should my family avoid smoked meats[N]? Am I likely to berobbedon vacations? Our uncertaintiesmultiplyindefinitely.[2]Anxiety about the risks of life is a bit likehypochondria。 in both, the fear or anxietyfeeds onpartialinformation.But one sharp difference exists between the two. Thehypochondriac can usually turn to aphysicianto get adefinitiveclarification of the situation—either you have the suspected disease or you don39。t.It is much more difficult when anxiety about other forms of risk is concerned, because with many risks, the situation is not as simple[N].[3]Risks are almost always a matter ofprobabilityrather[N]than may ask, Should I wear a seat belt? If you39。re going to have a headon collision, of course.But what if you get hit from the side andend uptrapped inside the vehicle, unable to escape because of a damaged seat belt mechanism? So does this mean that you should spend the extra money for an air bag[N]?Again, in headon collisions, itmay wellsave your life. But what if the bag accidentally[N]inflateswhile you are driving down the highway, thus causing an accident that would never have occurred otherwise[N]?[4]All of this is another way of saying that nothing we do is pletely are risks, often potentially