Justin Bieber is stepping
away from his music career. Since I was
never a fan of his music this news was not disturbing to me. Yet, I know that he
was a ‘teen idol’ to millions of adoring fans.
He came to fame at age 15 and his career path led him to a popularity
and fortune that few teens know but most dream of achieving. If his string of awards from the music
industry is any indicator, he is good at what he does.
Now he is in a spat with a
former girlfriend, Selena Gomez, about why he married his wife, Hailey Baldwin.
Their love lives and feelings, which most of us would express in emails or
phone calls or commiserating with a buddy at the corner bar, are played out
before thousands of eagerly watching eyes and ears. That isn’t healthy, and it
is why Justin Bieber needs to step away to focus on ‘family and mental health.’
So, why am I telling you, a
generation of readers who, for the most part, do not consume news of Bieber,
Gomez and Baldwin, this story? One, if there are children you love, do not wish
for them that type of fame and fortune. Discuss with them that their lives have
meaning even when thousands are not following them on Instagram and Twitter; that
being truly loved by a few people, and returning that love, deserves a lifetime
achievement award worth more than a Grammy.
Second, I agree with therapist Siri
Sat Nam Singh who observed, "[Our
minds] are like our houses. If you don't clean your house it gets dusty and
stinky and filthy. If you don't clean your mind — through reading books or
calming exercises or meditation — you don't grow. In Western civilization it's
all about matter: Everyone is trying to get rich, everyone is trying to buy the
house and get the paper. Thus we lose consciousness in spite of the fact that
we really are spirits as much as we are matter." (source: Peggy Drexler, cnn.com 3.26.19)
We are in Lent, an old word
for ‘spring’. In this spiritual spring, make time to clean your minds, to renew
your spirit. And encourage the young people you know to clean their minds and
spirits, just like Justin.
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