There is a new song on the radio about the desire to be rich and famous. The song is about becoming famous enough to be on the Oprah show, and the general craving for acknowledgment and recognition. The final line of the chorus is “I want to be a billionaire, real frickin’ bad” suggesting that all our dreams turn on enormous amounts of money.
Robert Ohotto, a world famous astrologer and author, points to the increasing number of young people who genuinely believe that it’s in their stars to be a star. In fact, he argues, this desire does not arise from a genuine love of acting or singing, but rather a deep-seated desire to be ‘recognised’ on a grand scale.
Once a baby realises that her desire is not necessarily identical with those of her parents she quickly understands, and frequently exercises, her ability to say ‘no.’ Physical maturity teaches her that life requires a more nuanced response than just the black and white choice of ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ She learns that her voice does not always need to be heard, that her desires may have to take second place to others’ desires for the sake of social, emotional and physical harmony and well-being.
Maturity allows the individual to see that our opinion or point of view is just as valid when it is heard than when it remains unarticulated. A well-balanced and socially effective person can operate in an environment of diverse views without feeling her view must prevail over others’.
A similar rite of passage occurs in our spiritual development when we understand that our existence and individuality need not be openly and actively acknowledged by others to feel a sense of equal worth and validity.
A crucial part of our development is being both seen and heard, just as the toddler must go through the stage of saying no. But to stay stuck in that stage has consequences, spiritually, just like the child who never learns compromise and cooperation.
True self-love needs no such propping up. When we love ourselves we innately understand our unique contribution to, and the crucial part we play in, the immense canvas we call life.
If the desire for the acknowledgment and recognition of others is all that motivates us then we will never be free. This is a form of dependency that will keep us bound and we will never be able to discover our true identity and abilities.
Even more importantly, we can only access the depths of our genius and creativity if we are prepared to think in ways that others do not. That is the very meaning of creativity.
Osho, a world-renowned Indian mystic says it this way:
“Any man who has any sense of his own individuality lives by his own love, by his own work, without caring at all what others think of it. The more valuable your work is, the less is the possibility of getting any respectability for it. And if your work is the work of a genius then you are not going to see any respect in your life. You will be condemned in your life…then, after two or three centuries, statues of you will be made, your books will be respected — because it takes almost two or three centuries for humanity to pick up that much intelligence that a genius has today. The gap is vast.”
