by Fae Emily Love
What do you and I have in common with a celebrity like Marilyn Monroe? Probably more than you think. We are all human beings. We all make mistakes, and we all live lives that everyone has opinions about.
How do we contrast with the rich and famous people of the limelight? For one, we can’t afford agents to keep a perfectly sparkling image for us all the time. Even when public figures make mistakes, most of them do not continue to face relentless scrutiny for the things they do and say that are wrong. The public is so quick to forgive the rich and famous, because they are “glamorous” and come across as “perfect”-no matter what. Too often, our society buys into the false assumption that these celebrity idols can do no wrong, and easily forget about their incidents of poor character. Celebrities, in all their glory, whether they make good choices or bad ones, too often become role models.
Now you might be sitting there saying, “Well, I don’t judge people so why don’t you just love them?” As saintly as it sounds to say that you don’t judge; posing the question about loving them is an assumed judgment that there is no love. It is part of human nature to have disagreements, make mistakes and even judge. Pretending not to judge is often used as a convenient excuse to avoid scrutiny or to make moral judgments when an opinion is unpopular in the face of the world. Just like all your favorite celebrities, we too, like to save face.
Is it really bad to make judgments if the judgments are made fairly and for the good influence of our families? In the past, the traditional family or person of great wisdom would make judgments- not to be mean spirited, but to see the difference between moral righteousness or moral wickedness- to further the good in everyone.
What is it in your life that you hold onto that helps you be a good person? Is it the differing voices in the world that mostly agree you are good? Do you look in the mirror each morning and tell yourself you are good? Does your church tell you that God would be pleased with you as a person? In a world where morals become a touchy subject, glorified sexual exploration is casual in society, and families are dividing and changing more frequently; can worrying about being politically correct be more important than trying to exercise true and correct moral principles in our lives?
While we evaluate our lives, let us not forget to be true to what is morally right. As tempting as it is to save face like the very human celebrities we tend to worship, let us not be insincere with ourselves when we feel the need to dismiss what is morally unacceptable for our families strength, happiness and well-being. All humans make mistakes, and all celebrities are human too.