Challenge #2 - Write to your Audience

I'm playing with some ideas now and want to know what you think. First is the concept of a role model. Growing up, I never really felt that way about anybody. What purpose does having role models serve, and who were your personal role models? Answer that question for yourself before reading any further, and I'll give my response later in this post.
The second idea I'm messing around with may be called something else elsewhere, but for my purposes I will call it "active intelligence." The gist of this idea is what happens when a person takes personal responsibility for researching and developing an idea or set of ideas. When I was a student, I learned concepts by rote and recorded them in memory in the hopes that the concepts would be applicable in my later life. As a blogger, the things I learn become an obsession. First one idea leads me to research, and then to finding connected ideas. Ultimately, I
invent something that is at least entirely my own, if not entirely new to the world. Personally, I find that experience incredibly rewarding, and would like to share some piece of it with every human being on this earth. I'm not certain that everyone would agree with that sentiment, but for those who do, how can you teach someone to engage themselves in active intelligence? (and is there some other word to describe it?)
With regards to role models, I think that a good role model is someone that inspires you but does not overwhelm you with his or her achievements. He should remind you of what you yourself are capable. I think role models are incredibly helpful to human beings, but that all too often we are only reminded of those model people whose achievements seem too high for us to relate. I want to see some new way to connect people such that each of us, from a young age, can find role models for ourselves. Do you agree? And if so, how do you think it might be done?