The chemical high generated by Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour continues to rise. I happen to know a lot of people, my own daughter and some law students included, who are either so enamored by the pop icon’s songs or have gone to the USA and Singapore if only to see their “idol” perform live on stage. TS, as Taylor Swift is often called, strikes such a special relationship with her fans that her latest concert tour scored 152 dates across five continents running from March 2023 until December 2024.
Ticket sales are always on an all-time high, regardless of the cost per ticket. In Singapore alone, standard ticket prices ranged from SGD108 (P4,425.77) to SGD348 (P14,260.83) while VIP packages stretched from SGD328 (P13,441.24) to SGD1,228 (P50,322.69). Fans from wherever in the globe packed their bags and hied off to every recent concert venue of the Eras Tour. Even Philippine celebrities (Anne Curtis, Heart Evangelista, Dr. Vicky Belo, among others) expressed their admiration for the pop superstar by attending the Eras gig in neighboring Singapore. Taking the number of attendees alone (64,000 in SG and 96,000 in Melbourne, Australia) is rep ipsa loquitur (thing speaks for itself) to the reality of TS as a mega influencer.
Just what exactly drives people to idolize American pop icon Taylor Swift is just as mind-boggling as how South Korean global band BTS has done it. For one thing, they create musical confections that are very relatable as themes about love, disappointment, loss and friendship permeate their songs. Never mind if most BTS’ lyrics are in Korean language, they captivate the audience as much as their physical charm does. Their stage presence and dance abilities are exceptional. Psychologists consider this celebrity infatuation as an obsession era at the same level of fixation during the time of The Beatles in the sixties or Michael Jackson in the eighties. From the psychological vantage point, engaging in one’s idols’ music or anticipating every dance performance activates happy hormones in the brain such as dopamine. The dopamine circuitry resonates song after song, poster after every poster, and one musical event after another.
Apparently, a cult of personality is created each time. Generations past and present are replete with examples of this veneration. Take the case of the late Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos (his family included), whose “Loyalistas” (the widely used term for a Marcos supporter) remain strong and irreversibly unperturbed even to this day. Filipino fugitive, pastor, and leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church known as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC or KOJC) Apollo Quiboloy has been reported to have over seven million followers worldwide and growing—in more than 200 countries and 2,000 cities in the world.
Rather than focusing on metrics, I believe it is essential to address the level of excessive preoccupation, which is more concerning than the sheer number of followers who are attracted to or fixated on an “idol.” A case in point is the Socorro cult, a supposedly civic organization in Surigao del Norte organized as SBSI (Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc.) with 3,650 followers. People from Sitio Kapihan were likely drawn to pivot to the organization’s objectives of housing, bayanihan and agriculture. Not much was known about SBSI to outsiders until allegations of abuse (forced marriages, forced sex, forced labor) were heard before the Senate in September 2023. According to testimonies divulged during several Senate hearings, SBSI allegedly considers its leader “Senior Agila” or Jey Rence Quilario as a reincarnation of the Santo Niño. Just as we find in Senior Agila or Pastor Quiboloy the same fabric of fixation towards a person to the point of fanaticism, if not idolatry, there are likely others out there largely unheard of until someone blows the whistle.
Generally, there is nothing iniquitous about distinctly regarding someone with a higher esteem over others. We point to either a musical celebrity (like TS, BTS) or a religious personality (like Quiboloy), a civic leader (like Senior Agila), or a political trailblazer (as Marcos Sr.) as a figure of veneration. Regardless of how we phrase it, we must avoid elevating our admiration to the point of deifying individuals as objects of worship, particularly when it borders on obsession. “Idolatry,” defined as the worship of something other than God, is considered the root of all sin because sin seeks to steal glory from God. The Bible, in 1 Corinthians 10:14, simply instructs us—“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
To the extent that this is relevant, a friend of mine (RRT) warmly refers to me as “Mr. Blue Chip.” By its context, the term blue chip signifies “of the highest quality” and is used in business parlance as a reliable company, with much success and credibility like Rolls Royce and its stocks, or a blue chip artist like Picasso. Without further inquiry, I can surmise that RRT must have created this blue chip expression or perception of me because of my significant yet humble background in the fields of law, military, academe, business, government service, writing and sports. While being called Mr. Blue Chip by RRT invites both privilege and humility on my part, a certain anxiety inevitably rests as a sentiment.
People who know us may set us far higher apart than others, but we should regard one another as equals. As such, I say to RRT and to others who may regard me with much respect if not esteem: “I may be much ahead of you in some, but definitely you are ahead of me in others.” As to RRT, she certainly knows far more than I do in the spiritual realm. She was gifted with more wisdom from above than I do, either due to God’s gifting or her sheer devotional experience. She can be a great life coach admittedly, for her spiritual insights are practically at the same level as a priest, pastor, or nun!
Truthfully, the ones we look up to (TS, BTS, and the like) also have feet of clay like us. We need to lower our expectations of them so we won’t get disappointed in the future. We also should check their hearts, as we should do ours, if they are pointed towards our Heavenly Creator. For we are even reminded biblically in 1 Samuel 16:7 that: “But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
All of us look at appearances. Fortunately, “the Lord looks at the heart.” Many a time we have been smitten by and glued to glittering personas. Because of their “stage presence,” we make them idols, icons, heroes, and blue chips. Since God sees them differently than we see, we need divine help to see them using God’s lenses. Imploring the aid of our Abba Father to change the way we view people around us, let’s make a conscious effort to worship no Mr. Blue Chip here on earth. Seems difficult if not impossible, but with a heart purified in the knowledge of Jesus, we would know what we should look for, look forward to, and look up to.
A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.