During the past week, a Philadelphia area woman apparently cooked up an elaborate scheme to get away from her financial problems: one of them appears to be that she is suspected of being in possession of large sums of money which may not be legitimately hers. She allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers she and her young daughter had been put in the trunk of her stolen vehicle by two black men. The vehicle turned up in the middle of Philadelphia with a ticket on its windshield, and security cameras later caught her with her child at the airport; the mother borrowed a friend’s ID to get the plane ticket. Ultimately both were picked up at Disney World and brought home. The daughter was placed in the custody of her biological father, while the current spouse is stuck at home with their other children (including a new baby) and a lot of unanswered questions.
Meanwhile, we have Susan Boyle, the Rocky Balboa of our time, an aesthetically average underdog challenging all of Britain in their (original) version of “(Insert Country Name Here)’s Got Talent.” In the weeks following her spectacular debut she has been unduly pressured to upgrade her look and not mind tons of overly-enthusiastic publicity seekers bothering her constantly: recently she supposedly had a fit of bad temper, cussing and wondering if her quest was really worth the price.
In both cases we have women who have gotten themselves into unusual situations, and outside forces are playing dodgeball with their minds. Whether their actions are criminal or just a quest for recognition, validation or a different life, we are fascinated by the process as the onlookers in these events. Has anybody told Susan Boyle, “Don’t sing unless you want people to start expecting you to become famous,” or have the Philly mom’s friends said, “We won’t respect you unless you have a lot of money” and compelled her to live beyond her means?
Why is is that we always destroy the things we cherish most? When our bedrock documents mentioned such concepts as the pursuit of happiness, it didn’t mean we should construct roadblocks in such a way that one cannot achieve those goals. It also didn’t mean that pursuing happiness involves money, fame or status. However, we embrace these ideals and are dissapointed by the means to achieve these ends.
With happiness comes much responsibility. Whether you achieve it justly or unjustly, you are ultimately accountable for how you got there, and those around us share the burden of whatever roadblocks we place in the way of others while we pursue our own happiness. We are all players in the pursuit game, and stories like these are good reasons to reflect on how our actions with others fuel the things that put us down.
I wish Susan Boyle all the best as a person and a singer. I hope the Philly mom gets everything straightened out. Let’s look forward to seeing the right people step in and help them reach the goals best suited to them so they may find happiness.
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