The Eternal Internal Dilemma?
Has anyone else noticed that the happier, perkier, and more perfect a YouTube personality appears to be on camera, the more messed up and manic that same person often turns out to be when the walls come tumbling down sometime in their future life?
My question is — were they always this way or did their constant life online make them this way?
I suppose it really depends on why they embarked on a video production channel in the first place.
Was it for fun — or a desperate cry for attention — or a campaign to get rich quick — or a complex combination of all of these — or more?
Did they simply wake up one morning and arrogantly decide that what they had to say was so important to the development of the world that they “should” be paid for sharing it?
Or was it an altruistic notion of helping the world in their own inimitable fashion — including a series of increasingly brash monologues — until the realization that no-one was watching their carefully-curated content began to set in?
In other words — at what point did they buy into the absurd notion that viewing statistics generated in the first hour after a video was released, were more important than the quality of the content itself?
More importantly — at what point did they trade their integrity for popularity and cease making videos on subjects they were passionate about in favor of content that generated the most watch time?
Better yet — why did they believe that they could not justify making YouTube videos unless they were paid to do so, and why on earth are they now surprised that this decision to just “do it for money” is resulting in an internal emotional crisis of some sort or other?
While it might easily appear that I am just picking on YouTube content creators, much the same can be said of many creative endeavors.
In the 1100’s Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux in France remarked that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and regrettably YouTube is showing us just how little has changed.
Yes, we are faster, stronger, healthier, and more technologically advanced — but are we actually any smarter?
In short — just how much has humanity realistically advanced in the last 1,000 years?
When will we finally realize that “just doing it for money” actually produces nothing of real value?
To be clear, I’m not saying that doing it for money serves no purpose — I’m simply saying that it is a slippery slope.
The problem is that this is a realization that everyone must come to in their own time and in their own way.
In other words, in order to fully understand how submerging your integrity really muddies your inner light, you have to actually dip your toe in the money pit and experience the effect.
Unfortunately, this first taste of money also generates a rush of excitement so exhilarating that most people dive right in without thinking about the consequences personally, professionally, or spiritually.
You might think you are brilliant for having figured out how to be highly paid for your time — and more good fortune to you for doing so — but are you fully aware of what you are actually selling and whether it is truly helping others or merely placating your own ego (and pocketbook)?
Is it better to use YouTube and other social media platforms to simply share ideas and generate discussion now and again, or should you permanently attach yourself to this content-hungry monster that steals your energy and offers little in return?
The choice is up to you.
