I am of the opinion that throughout mainstream society, whether it's politics, entertainment, athletics, or socially, we, as a nation, are becoming a nation that is full of itself. One doesn't need to look any further than any of the cable news channels and watch just a portion of the current political drama that is currently unfolding in the race for the GOP nomination. The amount of egos floating around is enough to make a hot-air balloon jealous.
Watching the potential candidates proclaim over and over how they are going to promise this and promise that, all the while knowing they are in a long line of politicians who make the same promises every election year, only to discover that once elected, such declarations of changes for all is soon at the bottom of the shredder with every other promise made.
What is entertaining is watching the candidates continously toss jabs at one another while claiming that doing such a thing is tasteless and not what they would participate in. Well, you might want to let your campaign manager in on that, as the ads for this three-ring circus is slowly getting out of control. In fact, I've seen toddlers in a daycare act better than these grown men. Egos getting out of control? Look no further than here, but there are several other examples of egos floating above the stratosphere that have much more damaging effects closer to home.
This past weekend, Hollywood came out in droves to celebrate the Oscars, a yearly ritual of egostroking that would make even the sulliest politican envy! Yes, I watched this year's show, cheering on the underdogs, while watching those who look like they have the world by the tail puff up with anticipation of being named 'best so-and-so'. By the end of the show, it's clear to see that although many in the acting world have good intentions, it's plain to see that those who live in the world of make believe are actually clueless when it comes to sympathsizing with those who pay the money in which to escape reality, if only for a few hours before returning to the real world. Reality shows (I use that term loosely), are fueled by egos that are in constantly need of being tuned over and over again until those who feed on being told how great they are, how they look, how the world can't live without them, actually begin to believe the mumbo jumbo, until they can't live without their egos being stroked. The list of those who fit this description is just not worthy of being named as doing so would give them what they need.
Athletes' egos, on the other hand, feeds off the fact that their careers have a much shorter lifespan than others who are in the limelight. Of course, each sport has its share of ego monsters and those who prefer to stay out of the spotlight and actually enjoy participating in their chosen sport. As a follower of many sports, I have noticed that it seems that many sports aren't as ego driven as they once were; maybe it's due to the fact that many people who pay the outrageous prices for tickets just refused to put with childish and impish behavior from grown men and women who are examples to millions of kids and adults. Whatever the reason, athletes are slowly beginning to reel in their egos as they look at their futures without their beloved sports.
And then there's the social networks....Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. Since their inception, their popularity has skyrocketed beyond what many people could imagine. These networks give us each a sense of keeping our friends and family up-to-date with our daily activities, or to inspire others with words of wisdom or to make others laugh by sharing jokes and cartoons. While these networks are great to have, it has become a source of nothing short of reality TV gone berserk. Many people such apps as a way of flaunting and taunting those who aren't as fortunate or even to bully those in a way that is nothing short of torture. But each does the same thing....it inflates egos!
What has happened is that over time we as society accepts egos as just part of a person's character, not affecting the way in which we view them. Most people view a person's ego just as that...something that makes them unique, part of their personality. What does one do when the ego becomes a life of its own? It becomes something entirely different....it becomes
a force to be reckon with!
