Worldly Influence: What is the Whole Story?

I began a post last week and then promptly lost it when I discovered I couldn't save it. Bummer.

It was on celebrity. My big question was why? Why is it that we are so caught up in being in the presence of celebrity?

This thought came after a complete let down upon catching a glimpse of Vince Neil last week. Let's just say first impressions were weak at best. Not my expectation from a man that has been the centre of teenage adulation for at least two decades.

It seems to me that our 'instant' world of communication has only made the adulation of celebrity more prevalent. I worry about young people that see 'god-like' qualities in these people while they truly know very little about them. These kids are only seeing one side of the coin and trusting that these guys are leading them down the right path. Scary.

I recall a situation in my past. Upon having a discussion with my college roomie about her favorite band, "Metallica" -- she defended them absolutely. Her final words were, "Lars wouldn't do that". -- Like she knew him!

It's not just kids, the adulation for Princess Diana, Elvis, The Beatles, Magic Johnson or even Martha Stewart confounds me. I admire their talent and unique gifts, but it is important to keep in mind that they are human, complete with human frailties. With this in mind, what is the interest in every aspect of their personal lives? Maybe we are searching for the divine within them? Does this explain our disappointment when the press reveals an aspect of their 'darker' side? Hmm...

My 7-year-old son gave me a lesson in cool a few months back. He said that he and a friend were trying to be 'cool'. Curious I asked, how will you become cool? He said he needed to have baggy pants, a gold chain, a backwards ball cap and to act mean. After a little negotiating he dropped the 'mean' part. I asked if I was cool. "No, mom, you can't be cool, you're a girl." I asked if his dad were cool. "No, dad can't be cool, he wears glasses." A walk through the mall with me checking 'the cool quotient' of most people we passed led me to understand that his concept of 'cool' didn't come from our world -- it was formed based on a powerful message from somewhere 'out there'! How much are our kids influenced by that imaginary world they 'glimpse'? Is it more powerful than the world we create for them? How do we compete?

Being cool became a 'household' subject for awhile, we discussed what was cool and I showed my son pictures and told him stories about what we thought was cool. (Dad's cool car, my rugby days, parachuting adventures, etc.) I talked about the kinds of things those 'cool' guys on TV do that he doesn't see -- and that truly aren't very cool. Was it enough? Hope so, but when will I know for sure?