“Whom should we admire”?
“What do you say when a person who you admire does something like this”. These words are posted on a black screen made by a wrestling enthusiast on YouTube.com.
The tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family has hit the wrestling world hard, and has left many wresting fans, like myself, feeling a variety of emotions. Fans loved Benoit for what he represented. Indeed Benoit is remembered as a great wrestler, a former world heavyweight champion who seemed to include a strong work ethic into his philosophy.
Yet it is the sharp contrast between his on camera persona and the hidden life that is currently being unfolded that boggles fans the most. Many are ashamed to have once admired Benoit. Some only look to his wrestling career as their final adjudication of him. But despite the different emotions, one item is of truth.
We put ourselves in this situation when we admire those whom we have never met. One problem that occurs when we admire a famous person is that we only admire the qualities that transcend through the screen. Therefore, we do not have an adequate grasp of who they are outside the lights.
However, with the advent of reality shows, the lives of celebrities are becoming less private, the fact still remains that once all the cameras leave, we can not truly understand who they are. One puts himself in a situation where disappointment can occur when he admires a celebrity, for when bad news comes out concerning that famous person, he finds out that the qualities he praised about that person are not in alignment with who the celebrity really is.
True Admiration lies not with the stars in Hollywood but with the people who are around us.
The hardworking teacher who strives to make sure you understand the material, the loving family member who is looking out for your best interest, the clergyman who you can trust to help you when you are in need, these are the people who we should admire. They are people who we can talk to, people who are nice, and people who we can truly love.
Shakespeare stated that love is intertwined with admiration.
We all know people who care for us. It is this great love and care that produces greater admiration.
We will continue to pray for Benoit’s family and for anyone else who was hurt by this incident. Yet with the bittersweet nature of the world, we can take this great tragedy, and shed light on what admiration truly is.
