Reality TV (episode 2)
Seeking popularity and fame via our reality show leads to others dictating who we are or should be. It means succumbing to the values and mores of the time, rather than what is right and good throughout time. Or in Maimonides’ phrase of “do what is right because it is right.” It means blocking ourselves from our uniqueness and therefore our unique purpose.
Life is not a popularity contest, although wouldn’t it be nice if doing good simply because it is good was more popular? We could use the Biblical Abraham here as a role model. Abraham is often described as gentle, kind, gracious and courageous. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks describes Abraham as having lived the “heroism of ordinary life, being willing to live by one’s convictions though all the world thinks otherwise, being true to the call of eternity, not the noise of now.”
“One who desires the attention of others, has not yet found himself.” – Rabbi Shlomo Wolfe
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back to the crowd.” — Morris Mandel
To read Reality TV (first episode) click here
See How Do I Know What My Purpose Is series here