This Sunday (or Monday depending on who you talk to) marks the sixteenth anniversary of the death of Kurt Cobain as well as the supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ. Coincidence? I think not! I jest. However, this confluence of dates got me thinking as to why humans invest so much time in revering iconic and idyllic figures, both living and deceased. By revering I'm referring to unabashed worship that goes beyond the point of simple admiration.
Jesus, who thanks to the insertion of pagan traditions early on in the development of Christianity, is ironically the greatest icon / idol in human history (ironic given his own teachings against idol worship). His image is littered throughout the world, whether it is in paintings, posters, statues, greeting cards, etc..., the list goes on. Roman Catholics take it even a step further by idolizing a plethora of saints, praying to them and parading them around in countless processions throughout the year.
Christian holidays also produce the likes of our wonderful gift giving friends, the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause (both of whom I would contest, given their culinary tastes, probably suffer from some serious health issues). Place this in stark contrast with Islam, where displaying the image of Mohammed is shear blasphemy, which could potentially lead to a visit by a not so friendly extremist, and you begin to wonder why so much influence is placed on such symbolism.
Then we have our modern day icons, our sports and comic book heroes, our movie and musical celebrities, and um....Mickey Mouse? What I find even more intriguing is our worship of the 'live fast and die young' burnouts, whose lives mimic in many ways a Christ like existence.
Let's look at our friend Kurt Cobain for example. One can easily place him in the same league as John Lennon and Elvis Presley, all of whom passed away prematurely due to one cause or another and all of whom still had the potential of further affecting societal change (when not drugged up silly). Since Kurt, and Nirvana for that matter, no one in the music industry has even come close to revolutionizing or shaking up the status quo...not the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, not Radiohead, and not even (shudder) Nickleback.
Granted, like Jesus, Kurt's rise to stardom may have been more a result of societal circumstances (being at the right place at the right time) rather than his own personal 'vibrant charisma' (if being perpetually depressed constitutes being charismatic). Jesus came along at a time when the Jews were under Roman oppression, led by the puppet king Herod, and were literally aching for a Messiah.
In much the same way, the music industry of the late 80s and early 90's was inundated with corporate pop drivel trying to piggy back on the success of the new wave movement of the early 80's, laying the framework for someone to show up and "ransack the temple". Relatively speaking, both garnered a large following in the years before their deaths and in both cases, one could also argue that it was societal pressures that led to their untimely (or maybe timely) demise.
Do we worship these figures because of their impact on society when they were alive or is it their lost potential that enthrals us? Do we sit and wonder what could have been, in some sadistic way identifying within ourselves our own lost potential and the unattainable goals of our once lofty dreams? Are we a society so devoid of personal self-esteem that we must glean it off the achievements of others? We seem not to make much of a distinction whether the person led or leads a life of sainthood or of Bacchus-like reverie (Tiger Woods). What seems to matter is that they have struck a chord with the populace in one form or another.
Maybe it reflects our internal desire to be better or more interesting people. Let’s face the fact that most of us lead rather dull lives. As such, we tend communally lift these chosen figures onto a pedestal of superstardom as if to say “look…isn’t the human race so great that we can produce people like this!” We then grovel at their feet as if they are the answer to all of life’s problems, which is in itself ironic, given that most of these idols aren’t in the business of solving any problems whatsoever, let alone dealing with life changing or global issues (please don’t name drop Bono…you don’t want me to start on him). When they die prematurely we are saddened but yet awed at the fact that they did so much in such little time, allowing an individual a period of introspection of his own life.
In the end, it may simply come down to the notion that humans like to be entertained, and our idols, icons, or heroes are excellent entertainers. If they end up inspiring you, then well, that’s a nice bonus (hmm…hero worship as a means of furthering human innovation and development...interesting thought).
I’m going to go eat a Cadbury Cream Egg now.
