by T. Youngblood

Created on: June 14, 2009

American Idol, the quick and short-term fix.

This is a great way to become rich and famous. Especially when you're young and your hopes and dreams haven't yet been squashed. I really applaud all of the contestants. They deserve to be admired for their innocence. If the show can further along something that you dream about, then it can't be all that bad. But we should remember that each one of these hopeful dreamers has a real and true life. I think that sometimes these kinds of shows are painful for the participants. All they wanted to be was famous and loved. And if they fail, the effects can be very harmful.

I don't want the opportunity to vanish. It is a valid and extremely quick way to find dream fulfillment. I wish every person the best that seeks out such quick returns. However, there is no substitute for experience and time. Patience and failure teaches you how to cope with reality. American Idol in some ways teaches the innocent the wrong lessons. It produces a fantasy that can't be reached by every one involved. To go the way of earning your own success is a hard road to take. But ultimately, the education that you gain from years of practice and frustration is far greater than instant gratification.

Wherever this life takes you, just remember to be humble and kind. If you become the next American Idol, don't let the magnitude of that overwhelming victory go to your head. It's a good thing to try and remember all of those contestants who did not make it as far. The way that you respond to success says a lot about your character. The real winners are the ones who learn how to be successful (and even the ones that fail), by being a genuinely humble and kind human being.

Being rich and famous isn't the end of the journey. Neither is poverty. Money and fame really don't bring happiness. But I'm not sure what happiness is. I've often said that happiness is other people. I see all kinds of smiling faces every day, and I hope that the glimmer in their eyes is genuine. Peace I think comes more from accepting the absurdity of this world than by rejecting it. So at the very least, you should be able to have a good chuckle. Dance and sing and follow your dreams. It's OK, the dreams are real, it's just that you have to keep your ego in check and try and be sensible. And remember, dreams don't change, people do.

Good luck, and may the gods smile upon you.

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