If any have missed Marj’s comments on demeaning article, please take a look. I think she nailed it. Even those folk who claim and seem to have it all together have the doubt and feelings of inadequacy. Mother Teresa faith doubts are well known now, even Jesus expressed doubt when the full implications of his life and death hit him and asked for that cup to be taken away. Even those we call saints in the church or in other belief systems I imagine had their days of doubt and downs. Did St Francis ever yell at a bird? Even Buddha between ages 35, his enlightenment and his death at 80, likely thought at one time or another, “I left riches for this?” And, whatever happened to his wife and child?
We have this propensity of making people out to be more than they can be, putting them on pedestals: Singers, movie stars, political leaders (generally those in the past) and even ourselves. And they and we never live up to our expectations. I remember when in seminary I served a church on the weekends and as youth guru. One evening after a youth group meeting a girl who was a part of that group asked if she could speak to me privately. She told me she knew she wasn’t always a very good little girl, but in comparison to her friend down the block she was a lot better. She asked if God wouldn’t take that into consideration. I reacted in my usual incompetent way of laughing and laughing. Then I told her God loved her just as she was and what little snicklefritz down the road did or did not do, had nothing to do with it. God just loved her because that is what God does.
Now if I can only remember that for myself and others on a regular basis, my emotional road would be a lot smoother.
~Hugh
Now it’s off to play and beat our great grandchildren for the weekend. Should be great fun, but pray for Doreen and me as in loco parentis to be half as good as their parents are. This I’ll ask them to make a “But nice list” of things to do. Grannie Annie, makes a naughty list for them when she comes. I figure the lists will bear remarkable similarity.
I had missed that comment, and you're right she nailed it. It's like mentally we're all grading on a curve, where seeing shortcomings in others is equivalent to elevating oneself? So we expect the famous to be better, otherwise what right have they to be famous -- The reality is everyone has bad days, or bad times, and many have persistent bad habits and yet still have some role to play out in their corner of the world.
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