There’s a problem with pedestals. When someone puts you on one, inevitably you fall off. But it’s the person who puts you there that gets hurt.
I remember many years ago when I went to a week-long conference led by one of my favorite spiritual teachers. I had read every one of his books. I believed all of his teachings. I hung on every one of his words.
Then I watched him carefully. I noted he drank a fair amount of alcohol even though he preached about only taking healthy things into your body. He also couldn’t discuss one particular topic with the class without drinking. And despite the fact that he was married and had a small son, he flirted with the young girls and, for all I knew, had affairs with them as well.
I left the retreat feeling quite disappointed. This man was not who I thought he was. He wasn’t perfect. He didn’t walk his talk.
I told a friend about my experience, and she said, “Well, he’s been knocked off the pedestal you put him on. That’s for sure.”
Yet, he never knew he was on a pedestal. So, he never felt the fall. The only one who got hurt was me.
In fact, this man was just a man. He was human.
Gurus, artists, authors, movie stars, politicians…celebrities of all types…are just human. They are just doing what they love and what they are good at. They also struggle. They make mistakes. They live their lives—sometimes not so well.
We fuss over them. We make them more than they are. We make them extraordinary even though they are human. When they fail, we are surprised. We feel hurt and disappointed. They fall off the pedestal we put them on.
I’ve met a fair number of “celebrities.” They weren’t any different than me or you; they had just managed to achieve a higher level of success. As such, they are good role models, good mentors. On a pedestal, it’s hard to reach them. If you sit across from them—at the same level—it’s possible to learn from them and to get to know them.
As a new author, I thought fans—and “super fans,” as I called them—were great, but I quickly realized I didn’t want anyone to put me on a pedestal. I don’t belong there. I know these people will get hurt in the end. Falling off is inevitable. I’m human.
Do you want to be placed on a pedestal?
