9: Healing from extremes: Pedestals

Whatever someone’s accomplishments, accolades, degrees, power, fame, fortune, humanitarianism, religiosity, talent, brilliance, influence, whatever: no one belongs on a pedestal. Pedestaling is the opposite of an honor, and it hurts all parties. Circularly, we maintain our pedestals to validate our fantasy of reality. The pedestalized aren’t allowed to be real, we don’t want real, we want the pedestal. Pedestals are harmful for everyone involved: both the idealized one required to live up to the fantasies of the admirer, and the admirer who believes the illusion of their inferiority. Freedom from both sides of the pedestal comes with seeing truth and speaking truth. Joining a narcissist in reinforcing their pedestal fantasy only enables them in their esteem addiction. Forcing someone else onto a pedestal against their will, such as a Golden Child, destroys their self worth because they are made to live up to an impossible fantasy. It is a gilded cage to be venerated for your mask, the fantasy of who you are, and not the whole you - only the parts that validate the propaganda about you. The path to freedom from the prison of one’s own pedestal is not self destruction. It is to accept imperfection, self differentiate, speak truth, and become real.