Monday, August 1, 2011

Born this Way? No Way, José! Part IV

I was not born with innate super-stardom. I was not granted gifts to achieve superstardom. My Mommy and Daddy cannot declare superstardom on me.

Then perhaps I am a superstar because I have overcome major obstacles in my life?

Yes, if I can stand up to bullies, take on evil dictators, slay dragons in my spare time, then that makes me a super star. It's not just what I have, it's not just what I do with what I have, it's what I accomplish the face of adversity.

Yet what do I do when there are no dragons to slay, when there are no enemies to fight?

And look at all the heroes throughout history who stood up to invading armies, who fought the good fight, who saved their homelands, who brought untold wealth to themselves and their families. They foundered in their private lives. Because of emptiness, because of dissolute behavior, because of minor flaws which eventually overwhelmed them, what do they have to say for all their successes. Even Presidents, who live fairly moral lives after their time in office, spend more time defending poor decisions, regretting good ones, or ultimately neglecting the difference between forgetting the good and the bad that they every did.

So much for acclaim and achievement. None of this can make OR maintain a superstar.

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