The Power of Celebrity

Everyone has, in some sense, a desire to be important. Whether in the eyes of family, friends, the general public, or even of one’s self, we want to feel significant. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, once our physiological (food, water, oxygen, etc.) and safety needs have been met, we are motivated by needs for love and belongingness. Eventually, we seek self-actualization needs. Self-actualization needs are self-fulfillment, the realization of one’s potential, and a desire to become creative. Maslow theorizes that one becomes fully human at this point. Occasionally, we distort this process and give precedence to one need before meeting a more basic one.
In our world, celebrity is a highly coveted and much revered status. Our eyes are constantly fixated on people deemed “significant” by the mass populace. To children between the ages of 6 and 14, pop and television star ‘Hannah Montana’ is significant. Because of ticket brokers, people paid $350 to $2000 a piece for her $63 concert tickets. According to research, half of women between 16 and 24 give credit to celebrities for inspiring their fashion sense. ‘Forbes’ annually ranks celebrities according to their level of power. Tom Cruise made the top of this list because he received $67 million dollars for appearing in the film ‘War of the Worlds’. Celebrities are very important to us.
One need that Maslow doesn’t include in his hierarchy of needs is our need for Christ. Instead of focusing on our own needs, we can give our lives to God and allow Him to fulfill our needs. Philippians 4:19 supports the concept that God fulfills needs through Christ. But, Christ never seems to be enough for us. We ask for recognition. We ask for celebrity status. We put stock in becoming successful in the eyes of everyone but God. Christ came not to be popular or to make headlines. He came to seek and save the lost. He came to humble himself and give his life for people who don’t deserve this gift. 1 John 3:16 states that there is no greater love than this. This kind of love is what we need.