When people turn another person into a saint they let themselves off the hook — and create a situation which psychically calls for redress and balance. You will find evidence of this in any country or community (especially religious) which holds up a mental idea of the ideal citizen or ideal believer.
This can happen by trying to be the perfect child. It certainly happens to some at high school level. The school prefect, living up to role and discharging duties, faces the reality of becoming separated from the truth of her own being, particularly when such a person begins questioning what it is that she is upholding.
The person being lifted up becomes trapped in a role, and can hardly be herself because of the narrative about that self prevalent in her circle. There are exceptions, and certainly some are able to pull off such a role unblemished for the duration of their term. It might seem like an eternity, but eventually university, the workplace, a new country or even death beckon, and such a person is happy for the release.
What goes with an alienation of self? There is more, but here are some indications:
- Depression, certainly. The life inside, the authentic self, goes missing somewhere in the building and we feel the sadness of the loss without knowing why. Not until we are ready to face the reason, anyway.
- Zeal is another symptom, and the greatest threat to our world is from people who know exactly what has to be done to usher in everlasting utopia! Their solution might be political or religious, but the social engineering involved always creates further problems. And the wise know that within us we have all carried the sword at one time or another.
The functioning of society relies to a great measure on having role players that people can admire, and happy the one whose shoulders are big enough to carry the role! A problem, of course, is that by the same token we confer on them a sense of being other-worldly, even impractical, thus comments attributed to Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and an individual of South Africa’s Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) recently on Nelson Mandela to the effect that he was too saintly.
People forget Mandela was an astute politician as well as being a far-seeing human being. What he represents gave us all another chance, and I for my part and in my small way will do my best in the hope that we never blow it.
Today, Mandela’s 95th birthday, let us remember our saints, and the human beings behind the vaunted social persona we project onto them. Happy birthday, Mr Mandela.
