The Special Few Among Us

I think I am done patronizing the charmed lives among us.  Watching the glorified, worshipped and fawned over who speak and move about for in the name of entertainment.

Dont get me wrong, I enjoy a good story or special effects as I watch a cable program or movie.  But what gets to me, from time to time, is the unbridled hero worship that usually follows most of these people.  They are paid millions of dollars, are in constant demand for appearance and quote, are constantly written about and photographed in tabloids and TV to the point of distraction.  Hell, I think I saw Brad Pitts face one Monday, more than my own.

I consider that in some ways, we all need our heros, our icons to which we can give our awe and honorary piety.  We too need , on some level, to believe in that is greater than ourselves, if  only to ensure to us that there is someone or something we can turn to when things get really out of hand.  This is, of course, our replacement for God in some respects.  If we cannot "know" for certain God exists and subsequently, an afterlife, we can at least create God-like amalgams to help guide us in our times of need.  ie (Oprah Winfrey)

As Rick Bobby was screaming and running around in his underware on the racetrack, trying to get the invisible fire off of his body, he was, in a wonderful telling moment of this concept, praying to all of those special few among us that have the honor of offering solace and mortal safety to the rest of us who are plagued with the lifelong terror of dying.

"Help me Allah, Help Me Oprah Winfrey, Help me Tom Cruise,  Use your witchcraft to get the fire off me!"

There is both hope, terror and primal rage in all of this.  We want to feel safe, but wont tell anyone that we have this want.  We also want to feel retribution for how we have been wronged in life.  This feeling, we tend to impose upon our modern day gladiators, sports icons.  We pay so many athletes to put themselves in certain harms way for our amusement.  All this in the name of sport.  We watch with gleeful anticipation of the battle royal before us and cheer the teams we root for in the name of loyalty and competition.

We never take the time to explore the feelings associated with our engagement to sports and events that pit one or more competitors against one another.

I will look forward to the next game I can watch my team play.  I am hopeful they play well and they ultimately triumph.  If they do, I am in a good mood and happy for their success and good fortune.  However, if they lose, depending on the gravity of the loss in relation to the standings, team they played etc, I could possibly be apoplectic for the rest of the week.

The "Feelings Ratio" here is truly iniquitous.  Its not the same.  On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most, I feel happy at a 5 or 6, but if they lost, I most likely would be at a 8 or 9.  And frankly, I don't like that emotional disparity.

I don't have to watch, you say.  Just turn it off, and I have, many times.  But its not as simple as that.  Our world is structurally based in our emotional commitment to these moments.  The powers that be are truly at peace when we get frothed up about the beautiful people, some political issue or our modern day gladiators.  Why?  Its actually very simple.  The person that is owned by what triggers them, is the person who will do anything I say, if I know the right triggers to activate.  And the ones who own the world, know exactly what our triggers are and quietly sip very expensive bourbon while we scream at each other at a Giants/Cowboys game.

We can enjoy everything in this world and what it offers us.  We can do this by engaging our emotions, belief systems, morals, hopes and dreams.  In the end, we will get what we wanted in terms of experience and excitement.  Unfortunately, we will also suffer the fallout from this path by constantly stewing in our own soup of emotional overload, regret and separation from others.  Lonely is the person who chooses a feeling over a person. 

We can however, choose a different path.  We can enjoy everything we consume as entertainment but with a close eye on how it effects us in the moment.  We can watch what this actor triggers in us and what feelings this game brings up.  It is the moments, where we get triggered, that go unnoticed, accumulate in our minds to create even greater feelings that we cannot abate or control.

Living life is simple.  Do, say, share, watch, and enjoy it all.  But there is a fine line between enjoyment and engagement.  Remember, you are not this moment or this thing.  This is for your consideration only.  Take from it what you will and let the other stuff that doesn't value your existence, fall to the side.

I am glad my team won and I like watching Tom Cruise in a movie, but my feelings for both of these things are transient and fleeting.  Just like last season for my Lions.