HUNTINGDON - February 12, 2012 - We all know that great beauty, talent, wealth, and success are temporal, ephemeral aspects of life. Somehow, though, when a celebrity of Whitney Houston’s status dies far before her time, we are collectively saddened by the abruptness of a life cut short, especially one that may not have been lived to its fullest.
Perhaps this stems from the knowledge that despite Whitney’s fame, despite the adoration of fans, despite incredible talent, the woman died, presumably, without knowing true happiness. This aspect is, undoubtedly, the most tragic.
These thoughts bring to the forefront of our minds that prestige, even that of celebrity status, does not make a person happy, something which most people seek and often do not find. As in the case of Whitney Houston, she looked for happiness in love, but her marriage to Bobby Brown eventually failed. In addition, numerous sources throughout her career reported she had a drug addiction. Perhaps her addiction was borne from discontent, a way of seeking happiness, a way of forgetting the pain of loneliness.
Surprisingly, celebrities often report they experience great loneliness when they are not in the spotlight, when they have time to reflect, “Is this all there is?”
We, who listen to or admire great talents, often forget that these talented individuals are also human. Stardom, wealth, and all of those things that many of us think bring happiness to life will not solve those problems. We think these celebrities live an idyllic life, like a fairy tale. How wrong we often are. Instead, they often live tragic lives with tragic results. The very epitome of the success many seek ends up causing their downfall, or even their death.
We don’t yet know what caused Whitney Houston’s death, but we do know she reportedly struggled with addiction issues for much of her adult life. Maybe the celebrity was just not enough.
So, if she could not fill that void, that feeling of emptiness by visceral or material things, then what could have given her true peace, true happiness? It is hard to know, without knowing her mind and her soul. Did she have a relationship with God? We don’t know; only she and God know that. Often strong faith helps bring true happiness and peace. Wealth, success, prestige are not bad things, but we all long for something more. For most of us, that something is faith in our God and in ourselves. Most of us, however, do not experience the pressures of celebrity, so our lives are much easier. We are ordinary people pursuing ordinary dreams. In spite of our admiration of those who are famous, perhaps we who have less, in fact really have more.
As Albert Einstein said so succinctly, “It is strange to be known universally, and yet to be so lonely.”
How utterly sad that Einstein did not feel fulfilled, at least not completely, because of loneliness. Many famous people say they experience the feeling of being alone in a crowd, even in front of an audience of admirers. Feeling alone while surrounded by adoring fans, is an excellent example of what can happen when celebrities gain too much adoration, too much fame to handle as a human being.
Elvis Presley is an example of someone, like Whitney Houston, who had it all, yet lost it well before his time. He, too, expressed dissatisfaction and unhappiness with his life, particularly with the image the public expected him to live up to.
“The image is one thing and the human being is another. It’s very hard to life up to an image, put it that way,” he was quoted as saying.
Marilyn Monroe, whose beauty, fame, and talent were also not enough to bring her happiness or contentment. Like Elvis and Whitney, her life ended early, perhaps because the reality of her celebrity status was not enough to make her feel loved. She wanted someone to love her not for her celebrity façade, but for who she really was.
“I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved for myself and for my talent,” she said.
Marilyn Monroe also spoke several times about her insecurities, primarily regarding her looks and her acting abilities. In spite of her great beauty, she regarded herself as merely “a pretty girl.”
She also expressed her desire to improve upon her acting talent, never content with her accomplishments.
As we learn more about Whitney Houston’s untimely death in the coming weeks and months, perhaps we will also learn more about Whitney, the person, the mother, and the daughter. Her family knew her best and will undoubtedly miss her the most. Not for her talent or stardom, but for the beautiful person whom they loved, despite her foibles.
Whitney’s only child, a daughter named Bobbi Kristina, the child of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown will undoubtedly grieve the hardest. After all, to her, Whitney was “Mom” and she will now live with a hole in her heart.
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