The very titles of the TV programs with the word “show” in the foreground – or at least in the subtext – reveal the dominant method. Namely, it is about creating idols, winners, successful people who, thanks to television, have made a career and become the audience’s favorites. All this, of course, is an excellent sell, but unfortunately few people realize that these “favorites” lead their admirers nowhere…
Whenever I return to the figure of St. John the Baptist, I am moved by his ability to remain in the background. In everything he does, one thought always stands out: He must increase and I must decrease. St. John doesn’t want to keep anything to himself. He doesn’t want to be anyone’s favorite. His only desire is to prepare the way of the Lord. So that Jesus could come and find everything ready to receive the Good News.
This must be treated as a challenge for our times. In a world that creates idols in order to use their faces, behaviors and ways of dressing to arouse new needs and create fashions that will bring huge profits, it is necessary to be able to distance oneself from this extremely strong pressure – first from the media and, consequently, also from society.
There are many important issues that we can care about and strive for. Having the right talents and recognizing the tasks to which God calls us, we must undertake them with full responsibility. However, we cannot forget that we are not supposed to lead people to ourselves and not our own way. Like St. John the Baptist and many other people of God, we must take responsibility for others, i.e. lead them.