Inspiration can come from odd sources...

People lend inspiration from sources that transcend moral strength - usually.  Some of the inspiration I took to make me the person I am today, was in fact from positive sources - my parents, my sensei, my wife and kids.

 

This isn't always the case.

A lot of the inspiration I took into my worldview, my view of myself, and how I interact with others, came from negative sources.

I can hear you thinking that I just made a typo.  Not true.  A LOT of boneheads, degenerates, slackers and addicts contributed positively to my lifestyle more than they should have (or know, for that matter).  My brothers' antics, the infighting in my family (and boy, was there ever), a massive dose of thickheaded and lazy behavior, and a secondhand run in with legal trouble her and there showed me just what can happen if you let yourself go.

I've come to realize that people in general are bad-leaning neutral - generally not predisposed one way or the other, but looking at the bad things more than they should.  I look at all these people at their worst, and think, "It's WAY too easy to sink down to evil - there has to be a better way.  Sure it's tough, but so is life.  The easy path is a false life, and a false life is equal to death."

Does this view make me extreme?  Sure.  But you can't argue with the results.