1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,640 It all started when I was scrolling through Snapchat and saw the really annoying ads that 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,480 come up when you're in the stories tab. 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,400 You know the ones. 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:17,520 Celebrities and influencers showing off their perfected figures, showing you their daily 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:23,520 lives, and the various gossip columns telling you stories about celebrities with clickbait 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,960 titles that are really cringy if you break it down. 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:33,120 I didn't happen to see anything in particular that sparked my interest or my thoughts, but 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:39,320 it did get me thinking about how weird it is that specific people in this world are somehow 9 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:45,360 deemed to be these figures that we look up to as though they are above us and we are 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:52,320 below, where we watch their lives with deep interest as though it will allow us to unlock 11 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:59,000 some sort of secret code to give us whatever it is that they have that makes us pine. 12 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Pine for what? 13 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:05,200 I don't really know, but whatever it is, it's marketed in such a way that we are all 14 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,440 designed to want when we look, when we watch. 15 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:15,080 I get the appeal in some ways, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't read a gossip 16 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:21,120 column or two, or hadn't checked up on how certain well-known names are doing these days. 17 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,000 I also don't get it. 18 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:29,440 It's people doing mundane daily people things, and if they aren't mundane things, they're 19 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:35,160 unrealistic and mostly unattainable things that I can't even wrap my head around. 20 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:41,840 To look up to someone and watch what they're doing in envy or jealousy, what a toxic thing. 21 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,120 It's natural, I imagine. 22 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:45,520 It isn't helpful. 23 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:51,440 It just serves to make us feel bad about ourselves, comparing ourselves, identifying what it is 24 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,120 we are lacking that sets us apart from them, from their lives. 25 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,160 It's all fake anyways. 26 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,320 If you sit down and truly think about what it is these people are doing and how their 27 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,960 lives are, do you honestly think that's what would make you happy and cure all of your 28 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:08,120 problems? 29 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:09,760 I certainly do not. 30 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,840 I know it would not help me at all. 31 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,300 I thought about it a little further. 32 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:19,920 These people, the media, and the spotlight, that's their life. 33 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:21,560 Everything is under the microscope. 34 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:26,520 All that conscious thought that's constantly required of them, if you think you're exhausted 35 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,120 right now, I'm pretty sure if you were to suddenly be granted this life, you would still 36 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,720 find yourself exhausted at the end of the day. 37 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,200 I can't even imagine. 38 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:41,600 Every move you make, every decision needs to be calculated and checked with some team 39 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,760 to ensure that it doesn't tarnish or alter your reputation in some way that would cause 40 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,520 you to lose your status on the latter. 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:50,800 That's not real life. 42 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:52,280 I can't even imagine. 43 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,320 I don't want to imagine. 44 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:59,400 I've always had this thought in the back of my mind of how crazy some people go when 45 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,320 they see certain celebrities or musicians. 46 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,080 Oh, I wish I could marry Morgan Wallin or whoever. 47 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,640 Sure, they're handsome. 48 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:08,640 They have money. 49 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:10,680 Their voice is ever so soothing. 50 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:14,360 But you know what I see when I look at photos of these people? 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:19,960 My hometown Chad, or Brad, who was in the right place at the right time with their talents 52 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,440 and made it big. 53 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:22,960 You know what else that tells me? 54 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:28,760 That these people that we look up to, they're just regular human beings just as flawed as 55 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:29,760 you and me. 56 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,120 I know, you're probably thinking, yeah, I know that. 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,680 But you shrug it off and still find the allure enticing, don't you? 58 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:38,680 Of course you do. 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:39,680 That's natural. 60 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:44,920 It's what's encouraged to keep fans hungry, to keep the stars' pockets and their executives 61 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:45,920 fed. 62 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:51,400 Each one of these people has hurt people, has laughed with friends, has buried people, 63 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,000 has cheated, lied, stole. 64 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,680 It's exactly the same as if the person sitting beside you were to become a celebrity for 65 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,080 whatever reason. 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,120 Millions would look upon this person in awe and be starstruck and you'd be like, dude, 67 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,040 I know what your farts smell like after you eat burritos. 68 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,040 Can you say that about Morgan Wallin? 69 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,520 Did it even occur to you that he does indeed fart? 70 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,360 Isn't that so interesting? 71 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,440 Let's take it a step further. 72 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:23,680 Everyone you know at some point in their life has had concerns with their mental health. 73 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:28,480 Even a sad day or a heartbreak is considered in the realm of mental health. 74 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,120 It affects your mental state. 75 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:31,560 It throws you off for a bit. 76 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:32,960 It's a mental health thing. 77 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,920 Which means all celebrities, all the influencers, they're all in the same boat. 78 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:43,120 I may even be inclined to believe that perhaps they get more affected, or at least the potential 79 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:44,120 is much stronger. 80 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,520 Hopefully, you're still following along. 81 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,080 If you need to pause and process and really investigate this curiosity I've inspired 82 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:55,280 within your mind, by all means, I'll meet you back here when you're ready. 83 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:57,320 Okay, a little side quest here. 84 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,040 I promise it's relevant. 85 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:03,680 Do you guys remember when Britney Spears had that mental health break, when the kids were 86 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,800 being taken from her and everything seemed to be crumbling, when she shaved her head 87 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:11,160 bald and attacked people in the streets with her umbrella? 88 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,120 Probably everybody can picture that image in their mind. 89 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:19,600 It was a pivotal moment in her life and I'm pretty sure that was on her way to conservatorship. 90 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,960 Now, think about this. 91 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:27,200 There are people who of course mocked and laughed at this, used it in conversation as 92 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:28,200 insults. 93 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,000 I think I'm in a crisis. 94 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,000 That's fine. 95 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,880 As long as you don't shave your head and run around the streets shanking people with 96 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:37,120 an umbrella, alluding to the Britney Spears incident. 97 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:42,560 Now, this is just an example, but many things have happened that were plastered in the news 98 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,560 that have been utilized or joked about in this way. 99 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:51,640 Now, do you remember when people wore a costume for Halloween that was a bald cap and an umbrella 100 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,920 to say, I'm Britney Spears having a mental breakdown for Halloween? 101 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:57,400 Funny, right? 102 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:58,800 Except it isn't. 103 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,120 Care the information I mentioned above, all of it. 104 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,040 And then think about that. 105 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:10,080 This means people in this world have done this and somehow normalized the idea of it. 106 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:15,600 That people saw a woman in crisis, portrayed publicly and decided to mock her by dressing 107 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,840 up as her for Halloween. 108 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:20,320 Not even just that it's Britney Spears. 109 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:22,040 Think of it on a deeper level. 110 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:27,440 A human being in distress and people chose to represent that as a Halloween costume as 111 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:28,920 if it's funny. 112 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:34,360 Did I, per chance, blow your mind as much as I did on my own earlier when thinking and 113 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,120 coming to this realization? 114 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,160 It's so sad. 115 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,680 And to think, people would shrug it off. 116 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,760 Yeah, but she's a celebrity. 117 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:43,760 She's rich. 118 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:45,320 It's all an act, etc. 119 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:46,320 Hmm. 120 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:50,800 Even if it was, that is still so unbecoming and it's still not funny. 121 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,600 What kind of message is that telling the world? 122 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:58,800 What if someone is struggling in silence, meek and unable to voice their need for help, 123 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:03,160 afraid to speak up because they worry they will end up as a Halloween costume? 124 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:04,640 Can you imagine? 125 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,640 Picture someone you know that has had a sort of crisis. 126 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,960 Then imagine someone wanted to dress up for that as Halloween. 127 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,080 I just, wow, I have no words. 128 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:19,240 For some reason, the fact that it's a celebrity makes it excusable, acceptable. 129 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:20,400 It's not, though. 130 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,520 I think about other mental health crises that we've heard about in the news. 131 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,920 I'm not sure I want to give the example I'm thinking of, as it's not very mindful of 132 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:33,120 the affected individuals, so hopefully when I lay this out, it's a way that leads you 133 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,360 to an example you can use and will have the same impact. 134 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,120 We've all seen something in the news that has happened, an atrocity, perhaps leading 135 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,720 to severe injury of another or death, where the court findings are released and you hear 136 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:51,320 terms like untreated schizophrenia or manic episode, or something with the indication 137 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:56,240 that it was a situation where the individual was not in a place to be making the best decisions 138 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,320 for themselves due to crisis within their lives, in their mind. 139 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,440 It's always an uncomfortable revelation, and there's a lot of conflicting thoughts here 140 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:05,440 with these things. 141 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,800 You're thinking of a case you've heard, though, right? 142 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:15,640 Now imagine you go to a Halloween party and you see someone dressed up as that individual. 143 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:16,640 That's heavy. 144 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,040 But it's no different. 145 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:22,280 The only thing that's different is that one person is an everyday human being such as 146 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,680 yourself and the other is a well-known rich celebrity. 147 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,360 That hits different, doesn't it? 148 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:28,840 I'm going to leave you with that. 149 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:35,000 I intend to take from this a sort of reassurance in my own core values, the one that holds 150 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:39,680 the knowing that we truly don't know what others are going through at any given time. 151 00:08:39,680 --> 00:08:43,680 A reminder to just be kind above all else. 152 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:48,040 Change starts with one person speaking up, getting the minds of those around them engaged 153 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:53,480 and thinking about topics that are quite uncomfortable or avoided, usually. 154 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:57,800 It may not be intentional, but when we get lost in the hustle and bustle of our daily 155 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:03,320 lives, we often forget that these things going on around us actually hold much deeper 156 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,080 meanings and impacts. 157 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,640 I'm pretty sure most people don't wake up every day deciding to mock those with any 158 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,360 sort of illness or health concerns, but sometimes it happens in a way that seems less obvious 159 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,600 than we realize or that we care to notice. 160 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:40,400 That matters, you know?