November 8th, 2006
 

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Britney Spears is grabbing the spotlight again…After making a quick walk-on appearance on David Letterman, she text messaged the news to her bad-boy husband Kevin Federline that she was filing for divorce.

Just hours later was seen holding hands with Larry Rudolph while ice skating at Rockefeller center. 24 years old, with two children, this is Britney Spears second divorce.

The fact that we even know all this bears witness to the power of celebrity in American life..

Movie critic Richard Schickel observes “Celebrity is possibly the most vital shaping force in our society.”

Sadly we've devolved into a culture where people are known for being known
Instead of for their accomplishments.Two words prove my point. Paris Hilton.

Commenting on this sad state of affairs Daniel Boorstein observes:
"Shakespeare divided great men into three classes; those born great, those who achieved greatness, and those who had greatness thrust upon them. It never occurred to him to mention those who hired public relations experts
and press secretaries to make themselves look great.”

This would be amusing were it not for the fact that so many Americans turn to celebrities for advice on how to live their lives/

As one young woman said, “Those of us who are fans, we use these celebrity lives in ways that transform our own. I sometimes think that these are our gods and goddesses, these are our icons, and their stories become kind of parables for how to lead our lives.”

Vanity Fair once reported, “Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician or religious leader except the Pope,”

Christianity Today lamented, “To her audience of more than 22 million mostly female viewers, [Oprah] has become a post-modern priestess—an icon of church-free spirituality."

The thoughtful creative resists getting caught up in the celebrity craze and helps their children resist celebrity too…

We ask the probing questions: What are the implications of allowing our lives to be influenced by people whom we do not know ,will never meet and whose beliefs and values are often antithetical to our own? What need in our lives are we trying to fill through spending even a nanosecond of time on celebrity culture, with its who-wears-what, who-cheats-on-whom gossip?

What are the implications of knowing more about what's going on in the personal lives of celebrities than we do about our neighbors, coworkers, or, worse yet, our own family members?

In short---We resist the superficiality of the virtual celebrity culture and celebrate real people we know and respect who are making a difference in our world…

My wife is my hero for her sacrificial service to everyday people…
My kids are my heroes for working hard to develop their potential…
The down-syndrome kid down the street is my hero, for getting up every day and walking to his job at the local grocery store…

With so many local heroes, who are actually doing something with their lives,
why should I spend my time knowing about people who are known for being known? When I hear the news about Britney and Kevin.. I pray for them and their children...and then get back to celebrating the heroes in my everyday world.

Yours for the pursuit of God in the company of friends, Dick Staub.

PS. And remember, “these are the best of times and the worst of times, but they are the only times we have.” (For Now).

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