Being an example without wanting to

January is a time of hope. This is especially true for young people who, at the beginning of a new year, more or less consciously seek credible role models, not slogans. They seek someone who demonstrates that courage is not an empty word and that life is not a pre-defined straight line. Being an example, after all, is not a choice. It happens. Even when you don't want it. Someone watches you, listens to you, takes inspiration, often without you even realizing it. Not because of the role you hold or what you represent, but because of how you feel about things. How you navigate a decision, a sacrifice, a delicate transition. Young people have a very fine radar: they immediately recognize who is acting a role and who truly lives by what they say.

Being an example doesn't mean always succeeding. It means taking responsibility for your own choices, even when they don't bring immediate applause or confirmation. It means not staying still just out of habit, but stopping to understand if what you're experiencing still resonates with you. It's a form of respect for yourself and for those who, perhaps without saying it, observe you. Being an example is difficult, and when the role falls upon you unintentionally, it's even more so.

My work at Striscia led me to that. To become an example for someone, even without really wanting it. The fact is that I later got used to it; in fact, I realized it could be a powerful weapon, capable of firing both violent bullets and beautifully colored flowers, and that it was up to me how to load it. Today, I'm very careful that any of my mistakes might become a negative example for others, because that wouldn't be right, and so I try to live, communicate, and be as sincere as possible, in my gestures, actions, and words.

After twenty-three years of traveling together, leaving Striscia la Notizia was a thoughtful and peaceful decision. Striscia was an important part of my journey, an intense experience that helped me grow as a man and a professional. Precisely for this reason, at a certain point, I felt it was the right time to begin a new chapter. Not to escape from something, but to continue walking in a way consistent with who I had become. Over time, I understood that credibility doesn't come from roles, but from the ability to remain true to oneself. Young people sense this immediately. They don't ask for unattainable role models, but for adults who know how to balance responsibility and lightheartedness, decisiveness and humanity, without becoming rigid.

Only later did I ask myself a question: could this choice have unintentionally become an example for someone? Not to lecture, but to tell younger people that there's no need to have everything clear right away. That you can learn, over time, to recognize when a season ends and when it's time to make room for the rest of your life.

Being an example, at this point in my life, perhaps is precisely this: showing that you can grow without losing lightheartedness, that you can choose without anger and move forward without denying the past.

Max Laudadio
NP January 2026