Pedestals.

I have always found it intriguing how people put other people on pedestals. Sometimes the pedestals are pedestals of admiration, like a well-accomplished musician, a hero, a pastor, or a movie star. Other times, they are pedestals of intimidation or fear.

Through my high school years, there was one teacher in particular who always seemed to intimidate my fellow class mates. They would say things like, "I really don't agree with the way he graded my final, but I wouldn't dare confront this teacher about it." Even other teachers would instill this attitude in the students by saying things like, "Oh, you'll never be able to talk to him about it. He's a brick wall." And people believed and lived by this sort of fear for him.

I've always been taught to see people as people, whether they are a homeless person, a small child, or the president of the United States. So, with this particular teacher, I never saw how other people thought he was so intimidating. If I had a problem with him, I would schedule an appointment with him and work it out. If I didn't agree with his teaching style or something he said, I would voice my opinion in a respectful manner and be done with it. 

There have only been a few times when a person has made me intimidated enough to somewhat fear them and feel like I could just shrink in their presence. The first person was Chris Thile--only the most talented mandolin player my ears have ever had the opportunity to hear. I went to a Nickel Creek (the band he's in) concert, and afterwards, met him. I think I said something like, "Uh, you, uh, um, cool. I mean, I like, er, uh, your skills. Mandolin, I mean. Cool mandolin skill you have." He just chuckled and signed my cd. I probably replayed those stupid lines of mine in my head about a million times before I finally forgave myself for blowing my one chance to impress the mandolin god. I worshipped the ground he played [mandolin] on and for a few years, he was my hero. The songs he has written are just so dense and packed full of depth. They're like books that can be read over and over, while still bringing forth something new and undiscovered each time they're read through. 

As you can see, I loved Chris Thile. Than I found out that he became an alcoholic, divorced his wife, and abandoned his faith. WHAT?!?! He wasn't perfect?!?! Yes, he was a full-blown, all-around human. I still love his music, but I realized that my whole saga of seeing him as greater than I was pointless. Futile!

Since then, there are still some people that have the potential to intimidate me, but I just remind myself that each human is a creation of God and must be treated with equal respect and dignity. Admiration for someone is fine and healthy, but raising a person high on a pedestal is useless and accomplishes nothing.