More than 20 years ago, I was riding through Los Angeles for the first time, with my brothers and an uncle, when a light bulb went on for me.
We were in the heart of celebrity country, where motion pictures are made, where actors and actresses rise to fame, or sometimes, fall from grace.
All of a sudden, these larger-than-life people who had played characters on my favorite movies and television shows became real to me.
They weren’t the characters I had come to know and love or dislike, and they weren’t living in some nebulous, parallel existence from the rest of us.
They were real people. Living on the same ground on which I lived and moved and had my being.
Underneath all the glitz and glamour, and their carefully orchestrated public personas, they were and are human beings.
Just like you and me.
It is easy to forget that, when their faces are splashed across all forms of media, all the time.
But in reality, they experience the same ups and downs as you and I do.
They get sick, physically and mentally. They have marital problems. They fight with their loved ones. They struggle financially. They sometimes wonder where their next pay check is going to come from.
And whether they are aware of it or not, underneath all the distractions that try to persuade them otherwise, they also wonder what is the purpose of our existence…
They hunger and thirst too.
Because the truth is, being a celebrity — whether that ‘celebrity’ is global or local — with all the perks and adulation that comes with it, is not enough to satisfy the human heart.
Our heart is the foundation of who we are. In spiritual terms, the heart is seen as the entirety of our being. In that respect, our “heart” consists not only of the spiritual space in our heart center, but also our mind, our body — everything.
So, if we spend our brief time on this planet experiencing it, and relating to others, primarily from our head space, or thinking mind, we are missing out.
In our daily lives, how often does our behavior change depending on with whom we interact?
Do we treat others with more or less respect based on the status we have assigned to them in our minds? Or do we see and treat everyone equally — even those we would rather not look at, or interact with — knowing that in the end, our accomplishments, our education, our popularity, our wealth or lack thereof will amount to nothing? Knowing that ultimately, we all have the same ingredients (but perhaps in different proportions) moving through our bodies, minds and spirits, and no one is better or less than anyone else in light of eternity?
Do those who hold the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States as though they were sacred documents, really believe “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all (people) are created equal … ?”
Might be something for each of us to honestly ponder with our own soul searching.
Because when I look at my own heart, despite my best intentions, I sometimes categorize people in my own mind, as “more than” or “less than” based on any number of factors.
I’m not proud to acknowledge that truth, but there it is.
After you are done reading this, and you put down your newspaper, or you click on the next link, I offer you a gentle challenge.
Consider how all of this applies to your own life, and then, make a real intention to live your life — and to interact with everyone and everything around you — from your heart.
To see people in their fullness, and not just whatever visible or invisible “defect” they carry. And remember as you are doing this, if they all have “defects” to you, you likely have a “defect” to others as well.
Just keeping things real.
- SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines spirituality. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and community.