It’s important to know that there are scores of people who are waiting to discover and receive adulation. There are those who see the depictions in the public eye and stand in the shadows cast by a larger-than-life presence that would evoke a particular feeling and compel them to defer to you as a courtesy, and extend themselves beyond the confines of what is considered normal for some. In a celebrity driven world the concept of adulation is often saved for use only in connection to superstars, politicos, the wealthy and the well-to-do — for them it is akin to something sacrosanct.
Stewards of commerce, industry titans, spiritual leaders and scholars of academia who have orchestrated historic breakthroughs in their respective fields — from medicine to music — are all awash in adulation and the anticipation of what they will bring when they come or what they will want to share. But the word — adulation — does not escape their lips, because it is not an emotion they want to evoke or prescribe to a particular presence, along with the impulse to applaud or say job well done.
It can be even more unsettling when we ourselves our placed under the weight of adulation as we stand in front of others and are defined by our occupations and recognized only in relationship to our accomplishments. The excitement and the enthusiasm from supporters for sharing exactly who we are almost appears as though they become an unofficial publicist, giving testimony — and with it credibility — to our existence and our images so that others who may have heard something disparaging about our characters and our abilities will know the truth.
As we inspire others, there is also a sense of adulation that we want to impart as we pass through this journey. But it is in the solace of prayer and reverence that we nourish ourselves for the challenges of directing our paths and living our lives with a sense of purpose to influence and impact others causing them to gain perspective and reflect on we and they are. Yes, it is here that the adulation and the emotion can erupt into a celebration of your presence and your being.
Who senses this feeling? How does one peaceably embrace the sense of adulation and our celebration and reconcile it with that remote place inside our spirits where we house the ability to meditate and reflect profoundly without the use of substances to medicate and mask feelings of inadequacy and mediocrity.
Great individuals who are making the best of their lifetimes, great individuals who are creating the very pillars of our brand of society, whether it is the accomplishments of architects and athletes, the achievements of businessmen, or whether it is the salvation offered by spiritual men — it is here in the spirit of adulation that we need to express it so that we become adept in how to best inspire hopefulness in the lives of those we touch. It is through that process that we can interject into the minds of others a sense of peace in celebrating one’s brother and sister reminding them that we do not walk or live singularly in life. There is a constant celebration of life that we often forget, but there should be a degree of adulation that we feel for others who are carting the spirits of many to a new place through their exercises in and expressions of devotion to what they believe, think, create and share.
Pause and feel the sense of adulation for who and what you are. You may be despised by others who believe they deserve it more, but do not shortchange yourself by losing sight of the adulation that others have for you.
It is within the scope of love that we share adulation. It is with the respect of love that we receive adulation. It is in the pinnacle of the voice of a child that our words should not make us fear the emotion or the demonstrated action, but instead find the peace and the humanity to say thank you and to appreciate it, bow to it and mean it. To say thank you and communicate a sense of appreciation that doesn’t seem cynical or sarcastic at all, but is warm and true so that the truth of acceptance shows a level of humility, for the gift could have been given to someone else. Peace.
Munson Steed, Publisher
