Sadly, it’s not just the paparazzi who believe it’s OK to infringe on the lives of the rich and famous.

Today, one of the supposedly spiritual sites I follow posted this rather disturbing comment on their social media page.

“YES or NO: Do you think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s marriage will last?!”

It made me think, once again, What price, fame? The wedding cake hasn’t even had time to be digested, and anyone with a following thinks they can disparage the marriage and impinge upon their lives? It’s very sad, indeed, that not only do people have nothing better to do with their time than to stick their noses into the lives of others when they write such a post, but that a post like this would get over 800 likes, nearly 50 shares and over 350 comments! Is it any wonder that we have yet to find a way to keep children from starving, people from being murdered and our environment from being abused? Can you imagine how many diseases might be cured and wrongs might be righted if people spent even half of the time they currently spent reading or writing about the lives of the rich and famous, on making the world a better place for everyone? The mind boggles!

To me, this is even worse than coveting their lives or comparing what we have to what they have. To even consider wishing ill on another person is nothing short of criminal. They live their lives in a veritable fish bowl, simply because they chose a career which puts their faces in front of the masses in the form of entertainment. Is there something in their contracts which gives the media and every individual in the world the explicit right to pick their lives apart and publicly ridicule them and wish that their lives would be filled with disaster…simply to add more to their entertainment value? Is it any wonder that people like Meg Ryan and Kurt Russell chose to live their personal lives, as well as the lives of their children, outside of this unforgiving limelight?

I would love to see what a profiler would do with someone who spends their life digging up or inventing dirt about celebrities and public figures, then writing or talking about it in public places. I can’t believe these people represent the true artists in the writing and photography communities. From where I sit, they are nothing more than bottom feeders.

Think about it. The majority of the world goes to work, then comes home and lives out their lives without anyone needing to know what they do during those personal hours. They may share it with friends and family (some might share more than others!), but nobody is following them around with cameras and tape recorders on the off-chance that they step out of their home looking less than perfect. Nobody follows them to the bar where they are blowing off a little steam with their friends in hopes of catching them doing something they shouldn’t. Shouldn’t movie stars and sports figures be given the same courtesy?

Mind your own beeswax!

Just once, I would love to see Brad and Angelina, Jennifer, or any of the folks whose least mistake is blasted all over the media, just stop and look at all of those vultures and say “Are your lives really so empty that you have to try to make mine out to be just as ugly, messy and pathetic, if only to make yourselves feel better? Go volunteer at a homeless shelter or an animal shelter. Help an underprivileged child learn to read! There are so many far better uses of your brief time on this earth than trying to drag another human being through the mud, simply because of their career choice!”

My heart goes out, not only to those who are put under the microscope by scores of strangers, but also to their children who have to hide or watch their parents’ good names dragged through the mud on a regular basis under the auspices of reporting or basic human interest. Sorry, folks, but that isn’t “interest”.

Bullying comes in many forms.

There has been a lot of publicity and public outcry against bullying lately. Yet printing or posting speculation as to the failure of famous people is no better, if you ask me. It’s really no different than my former life as the wife of an alcoholic. His primary purpose was to drag the people closest to him down to his miserable, self-hating level; typical behavior for one who is a substance abuser. Now, I’m not saying that everyone who digs up dirt and writes about it is a drunk or an addict, but their behavior towards those who have more money than they do (which doesn’t necessarily mean they are happier, mind you!), bears similar qualities. It’s as if they can’t stand the idea that someone is rich, famous and happy too!

As far as I’m concerned, attacking or abusing someone because they are different in any way is bullying!  But I guess it’s like a lot of other things. Drama sells advertising which keeps newspapers, magazines and television shows alive. Seeing the mighty fall, even if the whole thing is fabricated, sells crap because people are going to tune in and try to escape from their own, unsatisfying lives, hoping to see that even the most blessed (in their eyes) are not completely happy either. What a shameful waste of time and energy!

To all of the movie stars, political figures, and anyone else who is famous, both because of exposure and because of how many dollars are in their bank accounts, I humbly apologize for my fellow humans. Even those who are horrendously unethical in their public and business practices deserve to have their private lives left alone. I am baffled by what they believe gives them the right to intrude. They’d sure raise a stink if the positions were reversed!

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for friends who show me by words and action how important it is to be kind.
2. I am grateful for my anonymity which keeps me out of the cross hairs of people who have too much time on their hands.
3. I am grateful that, despite how idle I might be, taking potshots at celebrities is not one of the ways I alleviate boredom.
4. I am grateful that there are good people out there who respect the privacy of everyone, no matter their social or financial status.
5. I am grateful for abundance: inspiration, motivation, health, harmony, happiness, joy, friendship and prosperity.

Namaste