Erring celebrities

EVERYONE errs and sins. That’s for sure. Still the fact should not excuse
us from not doing anything about it. Quite the contrary. And especially if the ones involved are celebrities and public figures.

Yes, our Lord forgave the woman caught in adultery. But he also warned her to sin no more. We all deserve mercy, it’s true, but we also need to behave according to God’s will, which is what is truly good for us.

Some people claim the celebrity world should not be taken seriously, since it’s more make-believe than anything. Ok, noted. But we cannot deny that it also ‘inflicts’ quite an influence on the public, especially the young.

Besides, with the rush of reality shows lately, the line between fiction and fact is blurred, leading many of us confused, prone to being misled.

Of course, we have to care for one another. We should try to find excuses, and not to take offense easily, and to be very understanding and merciful. Still, all this does not exempt us from our duty to do something about this sad phenomenon embroiling erring celebrities.

The issue, I believe, involves a lot of aspects and parties. First of all, you have the celebrities themselves. Then the media, and other players, like talent managers, publicists, producers, etc. Then the public, the audience.

All parties have to understand that we have to be guided by a strong sense of morality, a sense that should be keener the more of a public figure we are. Actually, this indication is a no-brainer. But many still miss it!

Morality is an intrinsic, inalienable aspect of our life, and therefore, applicable to all, whether celebrity or ordinary Joe. We are not mere animals ruled by instincts and hormones. We are persons whose actions are governed by intelligence and will meant to attain an end proper to us.

I wonder if this principle is observed. My impression is that many in the celebrity world feel they are exempted from following moral criteria, since they believe theirs is simply to lend glamour to our otherwise drab life. What cheek!

Some of these celebrities even think they have privileges other ordinary mortals don’t have. They are free to break rules, they can marry and unmarry anytime with anyone, etc. They can even wash their dirty linen in public.

They feel they are above the law and above morality. They consider themselves a different species, a kind of a superman or woman. They think nothing can go wrong with them. They have forgotten that they, like all of us, have feet of clay, and that they need to walk carefully.

And so you have the phenomenon of seeing very talented, charming people whose beauty is often described as divine or irresistibly earthy, yet whose attitudes and character are still Cro-Magnon. What painful contradiction!

Because of these primitive attitudes, they know hardly anything about decency, refinement, discretion, sobriety and logic. They feel that to be creative and imaginative so as to catch and keep public attention, they can do anything and should not be bothered by petty restraints. Gimmicks galore explode!

How about the media and other players? Thanks to God, there are many good elements among them, who are working even up to a heroic degree. But we cannot deny that there are also many rotten elements.

They fawn, they flatter, they bootlick not only the erring celebrities, but the dark causes behind these bright stars. That is to say, they play many devil’s games to gain money or any advantage at the expense of morality and the genuine common good.

They weave myths and fables just to grab attention. Often intoxicated by the perks of their trade, they now often miss the elementary distinction between good and evil, let alone the fine print required in good taste and prudence.

All of us should strive to develop a keen sense of morality to stop this slide to vulgarity we are witnessing these days. Let’s help one another, making suggestions and corrections, giving good example, being patient and focused in achieving a proper moral ecology in our celebrity world.