We follow celebrities for a number of reasons:
- To Live Vicariously Through Them:
- Many celebrities live glamorous lives, which many of us don't, and they do things many of us would never get the chance to do. We follow them to live vicariously through them.
- When we compare our lives to theirs, we feel simple, plain, poor and unimportant, which simply isn't true. We're all important and valuable. Remember, glamour doesn't mean happiness.
- We need to simply our lives and focus only on meeting our basic needs - food, water, clothing, shelter etc. Less is more, and true happiness comes from having good relationships with others, from being connected in mutual bestowal.
- To Have A 'Friend':
- Celebrities 'invite' us to their weddings, baby showers, into their homes etc. We feel as though we're a part of their lives/family, that they're a 'friend', but it's all an illusion, a marketing ploy. Plus, we love weddings and babies and we become captivated by these celebrity events.
- When we compare our lives to theirs, we feel empty and unfulfilled because we don't have what they have. Plus, they're not a real friend.
- True happiness comes only from connecting with each other in mutual bestowal - it's not about superficial friendships or having things.
- Escapism And Distraction:
- We follow celebrities as a form of escapism. They're a distraction from the problems in our own lives and from boredom. It gives us something to do, we can focus on something else - someone else's problems, someone else's 'perfect' life etc.
- We have to face our own lives. Eventually, we'll come to realize that our own lives are already PERFECT and we won't need to escape them or be distracted from them.
- For Entertainment:
- Celebrities entertain us with their family drama and personal adventures. This makes for captivating stories and salacious gossip.
- We love good stories, but soon these superficial, shallow and egotistical stories will seem meaningless. We'll become captivated by stories of people who are seeking to benefit others instead of themselves.
- To Keep Up With The Latest Trends:
- Many celebrities have the latest fashion, cars, homes etc. So we follow them to keep up with the latest trends.
- Our focus on materialism will soon come to an end. Instead, we'll focus on having good relationships with others and this will become our primary concern.
The egotistical celebrity culture will soon come to an end. Instead, we'll value people who do good to others, people who help others, and people who seek to benefit others and all of nature. In this way, we'll be inspired to do the same.
True joy and happiness comes from having good relationships with others, from being connected with each other in mutual bestowal. In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
