Celebrity Is Not Goodness, Not Greatness

History is filled with people who were made celebrity. And, in modern times, within the confines of our small country, celebrity suggests greatness. All too often people seek celebrity status as a measure of their self-worth. And, most find themselves drawn to the celebrity of the day, seeking to emulate their physical characteristics or wait impatiently for their next big speech, surprising remark or tweet.

Celebrity, fame and fortune are external qualities of a person. Celebrity is fleeting. It is temporary. It does not endure.

Greatness is an internal quality of a person’s character practiced over time. It’s what we seek when we feel most ourselves and it is the people of deepest character that history reports as truly great. Most who demonstrate this internal character are not public figures or celebrities – they are moms and dads, preachers, teachers, doctors.

Celebrity disappoints us. We place external qualities on a high platform and we award hero status to very common and unprepared humans. We expect more than they can give and they expect accolades for longer than is earned. Greatness is not the most charming, the best looking or the eloquent orator. Greatness is the person who sits along the shore of the weak, the tired, or the shunned. She listens and she relates. She encourages and she grows – self and others.

Greatness has it’s own beauty. A smile is offered to all without any price tag. People who express greatness tend to be personally confident, content in their surroundings, and exhibit a satisfaction that many jealously crave.

Celebrity is often given with a vote or a part in a movie. A person may move, in quick pace, from obscurity to fame, because of one action, one external quality. To earn your fifteen minutes of fame is a highly desired life moment for many. Filled with such excitement that is rivaled by no other and yet, it is quickly forgotten – discarded for the newer, larger, better, more provocative.

Character is a lifetime pursuit devoid of public celebration; filled with laughter and love, meaning and purpose – practiced and nurtured over decades.

If we strive for goodness, we look in the mirror at the end of the day and know we’ve made a difference – we’ve made another person’s day, listened to a person grieve, lifted up the energy in a room, laughed hard, learned from one another. Celebrity is void of human connection and it is temporary. Empathy begets legacy. When we listen, when we hear, when we connect, we help others grow. We learn and we move one step closer to an enduring internal character of goodness.