A good friend recently lamented that we have become a celebrity obsessed culture that elevates people to a faux sainthood, often less for the good they do and more because of the bad things they do. And he really does have a good point.
There was a time in the not so distant past in which we celebrated people for good works and accomplishments. People who pioneered scientific breakthroughs or who invented something that improved our quality of life, were once recognized and praised for their positive achievements. The same can be said for celebrities and professional athletes who carried themselves with dignity and who were “in it” for the sake of their “art” and talents and not just for fame and fortune.
Today though, things have really changed. Today, we celebrate and elevate people onto a pedestal who have done bad things or who in reality, have done nothing more than fatten their bank account. We ignore the misdeeds and crimes of the rich and famous as if they somehow have an inherent right to do bad things. We lift up the notorious, while we tear down the good and altruistic. The greedy and selfish braggarts who have thrust themselves upon the world stage are virtually worshiped, while the people who are trying to do good in this world, are often vilified. And eventually, “we” turn on the very people we elevated to a cult-like status, tearing them down with vicious glee.
After my friend lamented about the state of our world today, I came across this quote from Alexander Hamilton and it is beyond insightful:
“When a man unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper . . . despotic in his ordinary demeanor — known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty — when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity — to join in the cry of danger to liberty — to take every opportunity of embarrassing the general government & bringing it under suspicion — to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day — It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.” – Alexander Hamilton
This describes quite a few people in our world today, most of whom we can legitimately call notorious. Ego is out of control in our age and people have become lovers of self. Lots of people claim to care, but when it comes to actually putting that care into action, we quickly discover it was all a lie — today, too many of us are more focused on our own wants than on the very real needs of others. And alarmingly, some smooth-talking people are able to easily dupe and seduce the masses, who eat up the lies and fear mongering with a gullible greed.
We are on the wrong footing when we “worship” a politician, celebrity or sports star. The people who deserve our respect and admiration, are most often the quiet, unsung heroes — those individuals who do good and do so without much fanfare. When a person spends all of their waking time telling everyone how wonderful, brilliant and amazing they are, trust that without a doubt, its a lie they spread to cover for their own lack of self-esteem.
Does this definition of Narcissistic personality disorder sound like someone you know?
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.
A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial matters. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors or admiration that they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships troubled and unfulfilling, and other people may not enjoy being around them. – Mayo Clinic
So many people crave positivity, without realizing that it can’t be fully attained if one follows and believes darkness and lies — when an individual spends their time in pursuit of purely selfish objectives and they always attack others, they are the very opposite of positive. True positivity means making a clean break from all things dark and negative and that includes people — until we do that, we remain in a sort of limbo.
“So, listen when someone talks about their life and circumstances. If the list of people they blame is long… it’s probably only a matter of time before you’re on that list.” – Steve Maraboli
