Recently I watched a biography of the life of the late actor Burt Reynolds. The documentary portrayed, among other things, his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. Here was a man who was blessed with incredible good looks, unquestionable talent, wealth, fame, a beautiful wife and family — everything most people dream about and strive for.
RELATED: Check out more stories on faith and culture from Ken Lass.
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Yet so much of his career was spent dealing with stress and insecurity, and it drove him to addictions that affected his health and quality of life.
His story, of course, is not unusual among the rich and famous. It seems not a day goes by we don’t hear or read about a celebrity dealing with addiction or divorce or unstable behavior. The list is long, including Matthew Perry, from the popular TV show “Friends;” “Iron Man” actor Robert Downey Jr.; Oprah Winfrey, Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock of “Star Trek”), Judy Garland, Jon Hamm, Jamie Lee Curtis, just to mention a few.
Research shows that the addiction rate among the children of wealthy and famous people is alarmingly higher than the national rate.
The general public may find stories about troubled celebrities to be entertaining, but they shouldn’t miss the fact they are also instructive.
Clearly, money and fame are not the answer to happiness. In fact, they may be impediments.
There have been many jokes over the years about the famous passage in 1 Timothy, which states, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” But one glance at addiction statistics and divorce rates among the wealthy tells you the verse rings with truth and consistency, even though it was written around 2,000 years ago.
To be sure, many among the well-to-do have kept their good fortune in perspective, who recognize it as a blessing from God, who use their wealth in constructive, charitable and healthy ways.
Money itself is not the problem. But money and power can have a magnetic pull on your thoughts and desires, steering you toward self-gratification, which always leads to no good.
We don’t tend to have much sympathy for the rich. Maybe we are a bit envious of their privilege.
But there is a lesson to be learned from them: Count your blessings. Trust in God’s provision. True happiness is not out there. It’s inside of you.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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