The Real American Idol

Yesterday, I was at Best Buy, helping a friend look for a camera, when I walked by a cardboard shelf that was advertising something related to American Idol. I didn't even see the product, all I saw was the top of the board that said in big letters "Idolize Yourself!" That immediately took my thoughts from Panasonic versus Canon and Wal-Mart prices versus Costco prices to "WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!? Idolize MYSELF?!?!?"

I know it was just a play on words, but it really started me thinking how true that simple little idea really is in our culture. More and more it's all about "me" it's all about what I want, when I want it and how I want it. It doesn't matter if it's bad for me or someone else, or even just plain wrong, if I want it, then I somehow have a "right" to it.

If you think about it, so many websites are dedicated to the idea of you showing yourself to the world. YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and so many others are based on YOU. While that's not always bad (I go on YouTube, I am on Facebook, Twitter, and I blog), it's amazing but not surprising how our culture, on the Internet and off, caters to and dare I say, encourages, the ME attitude we all have.

This attitude and line of thinking actually has a rather official-sounding name: Secular Humanism. According to Dictionary.com, those two words mean:

"the doctrine emphasizing a person's capacity for self-realization through reason; rejects religion and the supernatural [syn: humanism]"

That definition sounds pretty scary to me. If I am the only source of self-realization, if my views are the only "true" ones, then can't every person come up with his own version of the truth? Who can say murder is wrong if I think it's okay (that's strictly an example only!!)? Why do I have to follow anything anyone else tells me to do if I can just make up my own rules?

This view of the world and of myself has to reject God or any superior being, because if there is a God, and He has laid the ground-rules for my life, then that means I can't "self-realize" anymore. That means He is telling me what is right and wrong, I can't just make it up anymore. That also means He is telling me who I am (and I mean really, how can it get any better than being the daughter of the Creator of the Universe? Really?) I'm not making up my own identity.

What a mess we would have if we all made up our own rules to life and living. I could jump out of a plane at 30,000 feet without a parachute and just believe in myself and try to convince myself that I could fly, but I when I have about 20 feet to go until I hit the ground, maybe I'll realize that somebody else made the laws of gravity and I can't just "self-realize" them out of existence. That is in effect what so many people are trying to do when they mess around with social order, nature, relationships and truth. They are basing the rules on their OWN thoughts rather than GOD's thoughts. So please, let's not idolize ourselves. We just get into huge messes when we do.