Look at how popular culture celebrates our celebrities now. Often times the trivial things such as Prince William and Kate eating a pizza, and Kim and Kanye shopping at a store make even the world news. We celebrate these stars and hold them to such high regard, yet often times, our public figures let us down, they prove that they are human just like us, yet when we find out we get so bent out of shape. Since I moved out to California, I have encountered a few celebrities here and there and have even worked with a few. Sometimes, I have been apprehensive about approaching them because I do not want to encounter a possible “attitude” that some have been known to possess. It can be intimidating for sure to approach people that you hold in high regard.
Often times if it’s not a celebrity or a public figure, it can be people at work. Often times at your place of employment you get some higher up boss that is coming in for a visit to observe and inspect your department. You are told to make sure on that day to cross your t’s and dot your I’s. You have to be on point, and be ever so productive, or “heads will roll” so to speak. Often times, that higher up person does not even show up or make an appearance and when they do its brief, yet our day is stressed and strained because we anticipate their visit. And while yes, you should be on top of your game at work, sometimes these higher ups are so out of touch with reality and day to day operations, their visit is often resented and unappreciated as if gracing us with your presence is some type of huge honor.
It is very frustrating at times to deal with larger than life personas, you may feel intimidated or frustrated at having to deal with them, but there is something that I remember my favorite singer Chaka Khan saying a long time ago, she said that “Everyone sits on the toilet. And if you can remember that you can’t go far wrong.” Yes that ay give some of you a visual image, but hey why not? It is like when you are afraid to speak in public and someone suggests for you to imagine them naked. That breaks the ice most of the time. It is basically the same principal. We all sit on the toilet. It’s a part of life, even CEOS of companies, even Justin Timberlake, pastors with their fancy entourages, and our bosses and supervisors. They are really no different than us. Maybe they have a bit more money, more power, more prestige but that should never intimidate us because again everyone sits on the toilet.
Its even trickled into some of our churches, some of our leaders in ministry are so high up that we cannot even access them. They have their cliques and assistants and its like getting through secret service just to get to them. None of my pastors have been that way but their have been so many that are like that. It’s a shame. Yes, we should hold our clergy in a high regard, but even our religious leaders sit on the toilet.
So its time to stop putting so many people on that high horse. We do it so much that we become fearful, envious, jealous, and resentful of people who are in higher rankings. Why do we do this? Yes, maybe their ship came in a little earlier than ours has, but does that make them better? Does that give justification for some of their actions, and some of ours? I think humbleness goes a long way in helping some of these leaders and public figures and those close understand that we are all human I mean after all, everyone sits on the toilet.
