A study recently published in the journal “Trends in Genetics” states that humans may be gradually losing intelligence. I am not delving into the scientific reasons given for such possibility. I limit myself to looking around and observing people’s behavior. Among the attitudes that indicate a lesser grade of “intelligence” is the need for people to create and destroy “idols”. In the olden days humans needed to have superior entities to lift their eyes to in search of help and inspiration. Now it seems that the trend is following a different path. I am not referring here to religious matters. My considerations start by thinking about some people’s need to become famous, to be exalted and praised and the need of others — the majority — to create true “idols” out of those who reached the highest rung of the social ladder. We have therefore artists such as actors, musicians, athletes, TV personalities, politicians, army officials, royalties etc. always on the papers first page or on the news headlines.
People love to be informed about what is going on in their “idols”’ lives, they are curious to find out what they have been wearing at parties, what they do in the privacy of their homes, where they spend their free time, what they like, what they say. It is a widespread mania that makes tabloids and gossip magazines’ fortune. The funny thing is that, all of a sudden — and these days on an almost daily basis — these “idols” miserably fall from their pedestal and people enjoy destroying them as much as they had previously enjoyed exalting them. Life shows that they were not “idols” after all and that — in spite of their fame or talent or beauty or wealth — they are simple human beings with faults and flaws like everybody else. But the strange thing that I can’t help noticing every time I hear about a “fallen idol”, is how the media take pleasure in raging against them, describing the most minute dark details, encouraging the public to gossip about, to criticize, to despise them. One day on the altar, the next day in the dust (to use the expression of a great Italian poet, Alessandro Manzoni).
Mankind needs to praise as much as it needs to denigrate. In a previous article I mentioned the saying “No one kicks a dead dog”. Well, actually, it is not totally true. In some cases people like to do just that. A famous person did something shameful, demonstrating that he/she is just a human being like everybody else? Media followers add to their shame by keeping on talking, tweeting, messaging non stop on what had happened. I detect a subtle cruelty in this sometimes feverish search for the juicy news, for the dirty detail, for additional revelations that would plunge the poor crushed idol deeper and deeper into the dust or even the mud.
Another interesting as well as sad feature of the human nature is how “normal” people, beside loving to hear about others’ (especially if they are rich and famous) downfalls, are also fond of elaborating, even expanding and increasing the actual facts. Although it is true that human beings are all “equal” as to virtues and faults, it is also true that many find an intimate satisfaction in proving that no one is better than “they” are. There seems to be an unmistakable inner need to lower others in order to exalt one’s self. Such idea sounds like “As long as you are up there, on the pedestal, I join the crowd admiring you. The moment you fall from the pedestal, I love stomping on you.”
How to judge such an attitude? You cannot. It is a human trait that must be accepted. What can you do? The only thing “you” (and everybody else) can do is examine yourself and, if you discover that you tend to behave in a similar way, make use of your “intelligence” (the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills), become aware of your feeling and convince yourself that you do not need to “lower” others in order to “raise” yourself. If you do, it only means that you don’t have enough faith in who you are and in who you can be.
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