Being Human: Let's be human for a change

Salman Khan, Virat Kohli, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, and many more.

What's common?
Well, they are all "Celebrities".

They have excelled in the field they have chosen. They remain in media and capture or have captured our imaginations at some or the other time. They have a massive following of 'fans' (those who will eulogize and idolize them) as well as 'anti-fans' (those who detest and demonize them).

And then there are also people like me who belong to neither category and treat them as they are: as humans.

Humans make mistakes.

And more importantly they keep making mistakes.
Celebrities make mistakes.
And more importantly they keep making mistakes.

In case of mistakes, shouldn't we be using the same yardstick to judge all humans? Irrespective of them being or not being celebrities?

It is important to understand the difference (or the lack of it) between humans and celebrities.

It is important both for us and for the 'celebrities'.

Why it is important for us?

Because, unlike humans, celebrities are social constructs. What it essentially means is that some humans are deemed the status of 'celebrity' by society and based on that status, they enjoy some privileges.  Unlike humans, celebrities are not born but made.

Not all humans are celebrities but all celebrities are humans. 

And just like humans make mistakes and keep making them, celebrities make mistakes and keep making them.

As fans, we often ignore their mistakes (committed intentionally or inadvertently) and in our obsession, justify anything and everything the 'celebrities' have said or done. We idolize them. For us, they can do no wrong.

As anti-fans, we often ignore their good deeds (committed intentionally or inadvertently) and in our obsession, castigate them for anything and everything. We demonize them. For us, they can do no right.

Why it is important for the 'celebrities'?

Because, it is dangerous to be trapped in either praise or criticism.

The moment 'celebrities' start believing the hype around them, they start forgetting that they are humans. They make mistakes, and often make more mistakes trying to ignore/cover those mistakes.

I am not listing down incidents related to 'celebrities' named above which can be categorized under 'mistakes' because the idea of this post is not to list those down.
The idea instead is to argue that celebrities are humans after all and should be treated the same way.
Neither as Gods, nor as Devils.

Let's be Human for a Change !

Blinded in Obsession

 

Obsession: Being preoccupied with a thought or an idea; a state where some persistent idea dominates one thought's or feelings.

Blinded: Unable or unwilling to see, perceive or understand.

Blinded in Obsession: A state where some persistent idea dominates one's thoughts or feelings so much that one is unable or unwilling to see, perceive or understand a thing/phenomenon/explanation.

The above three definitions, in a sense, sum up what this post is all about.
At some stage in our life, we are all blinded in obsession.
The obsession could be related to our family members (e.g. where we love our near and dear ones so much that we overlook or pretend to overlook his/her wrongdoings) or someone we idolize (e.g. Narendra Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Gandhi) or demonize (e.g. Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi).

The reason I have mentioned Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in both the categories is because a section of us idolizes them and goes to any extent to eulogize them, while the other section demonizes them and goes to any extent to castigate them.
The common thread: the two sections are often blinded by obsession and often chose to overlook or ignore facts while eulogizing or castigating them.