“So let that be a lesson to you.” This is some of the best, most frequently offered and least heeded advice in the world of American celebrity. I don’t need to list them here. You know who they are: the prominent men and women who charge headlong like mindless lemmings over the cliff of foolish social disaster in search of — something more.

We read the headlines from the comfort of our common anonymity, scratch our heads and ask, “How can they be so stupid? Why would they throw away so much for so little?” Most of us imagine that if the roles were reversed, if we were the luminaries and they were us, we’d do a much better job of rising above these dangerous temptations.

Maybe yes, maybe no. But the question remains: Why do they do it? OK, here’s the superficial answer. They just get too big for their britches. But that’s not much help, is it? If it was that simple, we could solve the problem by simply assigning armies of tailors to keep adjusting the fit.

But the truth is, it’s not the fit, it’s the fabric. American society is in danger of unraveling from the top down because certain important threads are getting scarce. I’m talking about role models and mentors. These are strong components of American culture and without vital, influential role models and mentors, it’s hard to hold this thing together.

Let’s define terms. “Role model” was coined by the social theorist Robert K. Merton. It’s come to mean a person who serves as an example; whose behavior is emulated by others. In my generation, boys looked up to their fathers for standards of what it is to be a man. We admired characters like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone who embodied frontier ideals. There were superheroes and valiant knights who were morally stalwart, dedicated to upholding the right and protecting the weak. These role models continue as our companions today reminding us when we go astray that “You were raised better than that.”

We borrow the word “mentor” from Greek mythology. Mentor was the trusted friend and confidante of Odysseus, renowned throughout the ancient world for his wisdom. Odysseus could go to Mentor for advice when he feared his own judgment might be clouded and Mentor could be counted on to “tell it straight” even if straight talk was not what his friend wanted to hear. In our adult lives we all need someone we can confide in and who will always steer us to the good whether that’s where we want to go or not.

In the past few years I’ve seen a couple of trends that allow those more dishonorable inclinations to prevail in the contest of morals.

First, our society is exalting the wrong role models and overlooking the better ones. This is a factor giving rise to gangs and gangster culture. Consider this: How many times have you seen a product endorsed by a war hero or law enforcement officer? Have you ever (since Einstein) seen a professor or poet recognized as man or woman of the year? If you say that folks like this are simply not exciting enough to sell products, you’ve made a number of important points for me and I don’t need to beat it into the ground.

Then, there’s an apparent reluctance to seek sound counsel, or there’s a dearth of those stalwart enough to offer it. But even if straightforward advice is sought and offered, there seems to be a refusal to follow it. Why? Because it takes humility to ask for guidance and wisdom to honestly consider it.

Each time we see one of these politicians, movie stars, fashion models, athletes, televangelists or whoever do a belly flop before our eyes, we can be pretty sure of certain facts. Either they didn’t have strong role models — or they’re betraying them. Either they didn’t seek wise counsel at the moment of temptation — or they ignored it.

Very often, once the mistake is made, the damage can’t be repaired. If ever we lose faith in someone, it’s hard to resurrect it; hard, but not impossible. For many of those who have suffered spectacular public downfalls, we may never know the ultimate outcome. But however it comes out for them, let it be a lesson to us.

Oh, by the way, Dec. 17 is the 166th anniversary of the publication of “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge will tell you, anyone can be redeemed.

I’m Hink and I’ll see ya.