THE EFFECT OF IDOLIZATION

For someone who has been directly affected by this, I will always say there is a thin line between admiration and idolization. Every case of idolization starts off as admiration before gradually transcending into fixation.

One of the major side effects of idolizing a person is that you forget they are human too. You forget that they have flaws, that they can be wrong, and that they are capable of making mistakes. This is dangerous because, as I once read somewhere, "When you look up to somebody, you tend to become vulnerable to an extent."

It was Eric Guaaga who profoundly said, and I quote:

"Don’t put yourself in a position where you are at the mercy of someone else’s intention and they don’t have the capacity to do right by you."

This is one of the dangers of making idols out of the people we look up to. The vulnerability that comes with idolization places you in a position where you are at the mercy of another person's intentions.

For instance, if Chimamanda called me right now, by some kind of magic, and asked me to do something I would never normally consider doing, do you think I would simply fold my hands? Or would I jump right into it?

That is the danger.

Idolization throws one's senses out the window, and what makes it even more dangerous is how subtle it is. It could be something as little as accepting a belief system that is not aligned with who you are. It is not always grand or serious, until one day it is.

Dearest reader, the sad thing is that when betrayal eventually comes from the people we have idolized, the pain is rarely just about the hurt itself. It becomes a matter of the person. Who did it matters just as much as what was done.

P.S. When I say idols, I am not referring only to celebrities, public figures, or important people we have become obsessed with. While that is included, it is also important to know that you can make an idol out of almost anybody. For instance, that friend who seems to be doing better than you could easily become an idol if you are not careful.

@favvy_Okwans🖤.