(Part 1 of a 2 Part Series)
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, there was one Hollywood heartthrob who was everyone’s idea of a super “hunk”. He made women swoon and men want to be him. So of course, everyone was in complete shock and nobody wanted to believe that Rock Hudson (totally dating myself), the epitome of machismo and ultimate heartthrob for all women for many decades was actually not into women at all. He was gay and sadly for him, was forced to hide that fact from the public for most of his life. Every romantic movie kiss with Doris Day was the ultimate acting job and we bought in. But to this day, I will still watch the movie “Pillow Talk” and simply choose to suspend reality – ironic, for sure.
Recently, and perhaps even more disappointing was the revelation that America’s favorite comedian and T.V. dad lived a double life. Bill Cosby, everyone’s idea of the wholesome family man was anything but wholesome. Women finally broke their silence and revealed the fact that he was a serial rapist who drugged them for his own sexual deviant pleasure. We went from denial and disbelief to sadness and finally anger for the disgusting betrayal of trust.
Time after time, people who we have revered and believed to be the person projected to the public turn out to be opposite of their carefully crafted image. That is the nature of show business. However, when it happens in the religious world, as it did with Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Bakker and more recently Cardinal McCarrick who in 2018 was forced to resign after being accused of a life of sexual abuse, we don’t just feel betrayed, we feel duped and perhaps even spiritually abandoned.
How does that feeling of being duped play out in the political world?
Just like Hollywood stars, every politician is a product of image projection and self-promotion. Every ad we see on T.V. is a collection of images meant to portray a human being worthy of our trust and admiration. And just like our fantasy-prone views of big screen personalities – we each see what we want to see. Not a single candidate who runs for office is free of character flaws or personal shortcomings. And yet, some will defy all logic and convince us that they are indeed above reproach, incapable of making mistakes and every decision and action they make will be “perfect”. Some of us buy what they are selling while others approach with more scrutiny and skepticism.
The truth is one man’s crazy, egocentric sociopath is another man’s answer to prayer and savior of all things decent and right. This is the truth of human perception and projection. And while we may be able to see things with a more balanced view on our own – it is when we join together with others “who feel the same way” that we often leave our individual critical thinking skills behind. Although we have witnessed the psychological “group think” reaction to charismatic characters over and over again throughout world history, collectively we are slow to learn lessons of the past. . . . to be continued
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
