why are so many of us emotionally devastated by the death of a celebrity? Some people even mourn the deaths of celebrities or well-known figures more than they do a close relative or friend. Perhaps our society has become so infatuated with the characters created by these “influential” people that we genuinely feel they’re a part of our lives.

Therein lies the problem.

Many Americans have come to value unknown “influencers” more than their family members because they’ve become conditioned to hold celebrities and people of power to untenable heights as if they were demigods worthy of infinite praise.

As a result, who could dare mourn these loved ones equally to or with more significant pain than the loss of a beloved icon? To put it frankly, what have our loved ones done to impact culture or the world?

People will take off from work, seek counseling, and buy expensive souvenirs all to salute their idol, but what about the everyday idols and heroes within our families? Are they too not worthy of the same praise, if not greater? Should they not be elevated for their direct contribution to our lives and our familial experiences?

Family and community are established organically and over time. The networks that we create through the interpersonal and multifaceted webs should absolutely trump this celebrity worship. Reinforcing these strange relationships only degrades the unique and authentic intimacy tied to personal loss or tragedy.

There must be a deep sense of emptiness within man that we permit the deepest aspects of the human heart to be relegated to absolute strangers. //

Society’s current reversal of these suggests a breakdown of our familial structure, which points to an even more concerning breakdown of our society because the family structure builds strong character. The collapse in this moral character further weakens community structures, and which collectively weakens our once strong nation.

The future of America rests on this.