Popularity

"I have not loved the world, nor the world me;
I have not flatter'd its rank breath, nor bow'd
To its idolatries a patient knee."

— Byron

If everything and everyone in life were good, we could just do what everyone else does, believe what everyone else does, and live like everyone else, and have no problems. Popularity would mean that what was most popular was simply better. But, that isn't how it is in this world. There are many, many things that are bad for us, and they are often more popular and accepted than what is right, good, or true.

Popularity could just as well be called "popular illusions." Life is not a popularity contest. If we are living in a world of illusions — in which everything of True substance and worth tends to be suppressed, abused, exploited, or destroyed — then what does it mean to love this world or to be loved by it? If most people live in denial and accept this world's evils, then exactly who or what do they accept, adore, popularize, and declare to be "good"? It all starts with ego, the false god that rules our lives. Or as the song goes, "Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies."

In a world of illusions, ego and illusions and lies are adored above all. Popularity, popular appeal, and popular opinion are misdirected, and only represent agreement upon common illusions, programming, and social conditioning. Dr. Bar-Levav notes, "One of the basic assumptions in free societies is that truth will eventually prevail in the marketplace of ideas. This well-meaning but naive assumption is based on the false belief that societies are made up of mature individuals who reach their decisions through the exercise of reason. The quick up-and-down movements of the stock market and of popularity ratings suggest this is as untrue in democracies as it is in totalitarian societies." In a society, and in an individual, emotion and truth are not compatible. Emotion, indoctrination, and the upholding of prior social programming as being of ultimate value, is what often determines individual interest, public policy, and popular agendas. The majority believes its illusions, which captivate their attention and comfortably substitute for Truth.

It is simply not true that if enough people agree on something, then it is right, good, or true. The grand illusion of government is that either popularly elected leaders or the populace itself really knows what is best or is committed to it. Neither is true — even in a democracy. Government is the way it is because it ultimately suits the people that way; people prefer government to do whatever it does rather than be responsible for themselves or think for themselves. Whether it is communism, a dictatorship, a king, queen, or emperor, or some kind of democracy, people living under a given system of government generally accept their privileged, self-serving, exploitative, corrupt, deceiving, misguided, "all-knowing" leaders, rather than having to accept responsibility for their own lives. It makes people feel better to imagine someone else is taking care of all of their problems, and the more they glorify their leaders (pharaohs, kings, queens, and popes all rule by "divine right"), the more protected and secure they feel. It is all illusion. In a democracy, leaders reflect their populace; if they are ignorant, deceitful, or wrong-minded, they generally represent those who elected them. History shows, there is no simple "purity" or higher "truth" to be found in the masses; they are easily deceived, indoctrinated, and herded along like cattle. And giving up the power in our lives to popular leaders, or doing what everyone else does, is not the solution. It is easy to get 100,000 people together for a sporting event, anytime, anywhere. But, how often do people ever do anything en masse other than express their social conditioning, their egos, their emotions, their illusions as to what is of value in life? In our unawareness, we glorify popular icons who demand our mindless complacency, agreement, deference, or respect.

Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Madonna, Eminem, Bill Clinton, it does not matter how popular they might be; what matters is the effect they have on the masses. Young people are very impressionable, and readily programmed by pop culture, its messages and its role models. Today, adolescent girls don't think twice about dressing and acting like whores, because their pop idols act that way. Being lost in the illusion, they do not see what they are really embracing in their lives. You accept a lot when you accept people, or their influence in your life, mindlessly. You accept their attitudes and beliefs. You accept their moral values and their lifestyle. You accept all of the wrongs in them. And, so, you become unable to see those wrongs in your self, either. It does not work to accept everyone, and make no distinctions — if they have a pulse, they are good and decent and worthy of praise and respect. Bill Clinton is a serial sexual predator. And, he is responsible for convincing a generation of America's children that oral sex is not sex. So, orally transmitted sexual diseases are epidemic among children, including very young ones. It is hard to imagine the damage done by those in positions of authority, trust, or influence, in our society. The most evil people, who see no wrong with wrong, no evil in evil, no untruth in lies, are the real culprits. They think evil is good, wrong is right, and lies are much better than the truth. And, they are very popular. read more ...

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